You're My Best
by pencilsandkeyboards
Summary: Set a month after the girls reunite with Ali in New York, they are back in Rosewood and finally living their lives without lies, secrets, or A. After being away for 3 years, Ali is back home and pregnant. How will her and the Liars lives continue in this new chapter without A? Will Emily and Alison be able to raise the baby together? Alison/Emily story, with Emison as endgame :)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Authors Note: So here's the first chapter of my first story on this account! I've followed the timeline as best as I can, but as you guys know the PLL timeline is super confusing and hard to figure out. I've had this idea for a while, and I just love Emison so I had to write it! I will include details and plot elements from Season 5, but some things may also change depending on where the story goes. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and it would be awesome if you left me a review to let me know what you think! Hope you have a good day :)**

The four friends sat on the couches of the apartment they had been brought to by Noel Kahn, waiting. Emily ran a hand through her hair. She didn't know what to think about everything, she just needed some answers, and to see Ali in person again. Spencer chewed on her nails, giving her a sympathetic smile. The four girls stood up at the sound of the door opening. Ali smiled at her friends, and slowly walked towards them. She looked at the faces of her four friends, the ones she'd hated leaving behind. She walked into Hanna's tight embrace. Then it was Emily's turn to hug the girl who she had never really gotten over. She was relieved to be holding her, to know that she was safe, at least for now. After hugging the others, Ali turned and walked over to the coat rack.

"Ali, where have you been all this time?" Aria started.

"We seriously need some answers." Hannah added, smiling.

"I know, I promise I'll tell you guys everything. No more secrets," Ali replied, as she took off her coat and hung it up on the hook, "So I guess I have to start with this." Ali turned around to face her friends again. The four girls' eyes widened as they saw what Ali's coat had concealed before. Their friend was at least 6 months pregnant.

* * *

><p>"Honey, dinner will be here soon," Kenneth told his daughter from her doorframe, "Do you need any help?" He noticed his daughter was trying to store a bag in her closet shelf.<p>

"Yes, please," She smiled at him, "What did you order?" Ali asked her father as he easily put her bag on the shelf.

"Some burgers from the grill. I'll let you know when it's here, okay?"

"Thanks dad." She gave him a light smile, and went to take a seat on her bed next her new furry friend, Pepe. She looked around her room, surprised at how she still felt the same way as she did the first time she walked into her room since she had been away. It had been a little over a month, and she still felt relieved, and overwhelmed at the fact that she was finally home. After she had told the girls everything, and after all that had happened in New York, she had finally been able to come home to her family. It had been the hardest thing she'd had to endure, to see how hurt her father had been all these years. Especially after her mother was found. Alison had been broken for days, weeks, after Jessica had been murdered. She felt her baby kick, and placed her hand on her side, feeling the baby's feet push against her. This baby had kept her strong, and made her determined to remain strong, if not for herself and her family, for her baby. Ever since she found out about this baby, she had done everything she could possibly do to keep him safe. It hadn't been easy running and hiding after she got pregnant, and it had been even harder to keep her secret from A. Now that Shana was dead, she could finally be sure that there weren't any threats for her son. With the help of CeCe, Ali had been able to go to doctor appointments at a small clinic a long drive from Rosewood. She hadn't expected to become a mother so soon, but somehow, Ali knew it would be the best thing to happen to her. After living a life full of secrets, she was glad that her baby no longer had to be one. It would still take some getting used to, knowing that there was no "A", that she didn't have to lie or keep any more secrets. She could finally start a new life.

* * *

><p>"It's been a month, and I still can't believe she's home." Emily said aloud from her spot by her window.<p>

"And I still can't believe that she's going to be a mom." Hanna added, shaking her head. Spencer stood up from Emily's bed and started pacing around the room.

"Guys, haven't you noticed?" Spencer asked them.

"What?" Aria wondered, looking around at the blank faces of her other two friends, "Noticed what?"

"For the first time in years, we've actually gone a week without lies or mysteries or looking for clues to find out who "A" is. The cops know everything, and A is dead. We don't have anything to hide anymore." Spencer smiled. She was right, the girls had told the police every detail about that night in New York those few weeks ago. After strong evidence was used to prove that Aria justifiably killed Shana in self-defense, they had said goodbye to all things "A".

"And yet, I still haven't found a hobby." Hannah joked, causing the others to laugh.

"I think we've all just been catching up on the sleep we haven't gotten for the past couple of years." Aria smiled at her. Emily's phone chimed, and she checked her texts.

"Alison says we should go over to her house tomorrow, after school." She told the others, setting her cell beside her.

"Good, because there's still one thing she needs to explain." Aria replied.

"Which is?" Spencer wondered, turning to Aria.

"The baby's father. I mean she only gave us a really vague explanation about who he was, and that was a while ago." Aria responded.

"Yeah, something's up with that whole situation." Hanna added, fiddling with her necklace.

"Well let's ask her tomorrow then." Emily announced.

"Alrighty." Spencer smiled.

* * *

><p>"You okay?" Spencer asked Ali, who had just winced and shifted on the bench the girls were all seated on outside on Ali's porch.<p>

"Yeah, he's just moving," She nodded, "Right against my ribs."

"Can I feel?" Aria asked her friend.

"Of course." Ali smiled, taking her hand and placing it on her large stomach. She moved it slightly to where she could feel the baby's foot was. Then he moved again, his little feet pressing against Aria's hand.

"Oh my god, that's so cool!" She exclaimed, looking around at the other girls.

"Does it always hurt?" Hanna asked.

"No, just sometimes. It's not that bad really," Ali smiled, "I actually love feeling him kick. It's one of the best parts."

"It must be," Emily added, before asking, "Only 2 months left right?"

"Yeah, February 8th supposedly! I can't believe I'm already 7 months."

"So, Ali, we were actually wondering something..." Spencer trailed off. Before she could continue, Hanna cut in.

"Who exactly is your baby daddy?"

"Hanna!" Emily scolded Hanna on her frankness.

"Sorry, just curious." Hanna smiled apologetically.

"It's okay," Ali told them, "But it's kind of complicated," She looked down, "His name is Cyrus. We dated for a while, I mean I wouldn't exactly call it dating. We stayed in an abandoned basement with a couple other runaways and people who didn't have anywhere else to go. Things were actually good for a while, and I thought he really liked me. When I found out I was pregnant, he told me we would be okay, that he would be there for me. I believed him." Ali shook her head.

"Then what happened Ali?" Emily asked softly.

"He didn't want me, or our baby," Ali paused, "He just wanted my stuff. My money. He's the one who gave me this." She pulled her dress up to reveal the large scar on her thigh.

_Ali woke up suddenly, hearing movement in the room. She saw Cyrus walking towards the stairs, her bag in his hand._

_"Hey! My bag!" Ali called out, "Cyrus, what are you doing?" She reached for him, grabbing a hold of her bag. He turned around, roughly grabbing her and pushing her against the cement wall. He covered her mouth, reaching for his knife._

_"Please don't do this," She managaed to breath out, "Don't hurt me." She cried, but he just smirked and brought the knife down, cutting her thigh. She cried out and crumpled to the ground, pressing a hand to the wound as the blood soaked through her clothes. Cyrus quickly turned around, running into another of the basement's residents, Oliver, who had heard the commotion. Cyrus ran past him, going up the steps quickly to catch up with his new girl who was waiting for him._

_"Oh my god, what did he do?" Oliver kneeled down, noticing the blood. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see Valerie with a worn out first aid kit in her hands._

_"What's going on guys?" She asked them, handing Oliver the kit as she went to Ali's side._

_"It was Cyrus, he just took off." Oliver replied to her, taking out some gauze and bandages from the bag._

_"He, he took my bag. All my stuff was in there," Ali told them, "He wanted the money."_

_"Are you okay? Did he do anything else?" Valerie asked, checking to see if there were any other cuts or bruises on Alison, "How's the baby?" Alison had a hand protectively over her 5 month bump. She shook her head in response, and winced as Oliver pressed some gauze over her wound._

_"I think he's okay," She replied, "I can feel him move," Valerie nodded, handing Oliver some sanitizing wipes._

_"This is gonna sting." He warned Ali, before wiping the wound. Alison shut her eyes, trying to focus on anything else. She couldn't believe how stupid she'd been. How could she have fallen for his stupid lies? He never cared, did he? He was just after one thing, and now that he had gotten it she was sure that she would never see him again. She should have never trusted him._

_"Okay, I think you'll be fine," Oliver brought her back from her thoughts, "Maybe just change the bandage in a couple hours." He stood up, going to throw out the dirty supplies and wash his hands._

_"Here, let's get you cleaned up," Valerie motioned to Alison's bloody hands, wiping them off for her,"Come on." Valerie put her arm around Ali, helping her stand up._

_"Thank you, both of you," She said, as she sat down on the old mattress she had been sleeping on, "I should have never believed him. Sorry about all this."_

_"Don't worry, I'm sure we've all been in your shoes at some point, trusting someone we shouldn't have," Valerie reassured her, "Let me know if you need anything else." She smiled, going back to the room around the corner that she shared with Oliver._

_"Don't worry about him, he's an idiot. Besides, I think we'll all like the extra space now with those two gone." Oliver said as he followed behind Valerie._

"Oh my god Ali." Aria put her arm around her friend, who was wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell the police? He needs to pay for what he did." Spencer spoke up.

"Yeah, are you sure no one knows where he went? Nobody from that basement saw him again?" Emily wondered. Ali shook her head.

"That night it was only Oliver and Valerie down there, besides him and that tramp he ran off with. Some other people that lived there had left for a week to go god knows where, they didn't get back until a few days after it happened. No one else even knows about it. We just told the others that Cyrus and April had taken off. I didn't ever want to think about him again honestly." Ali concluded.

"You're better off without that moron anyways." Hanna told her.

"Definitely." Spencer agreed.

"Does your dad know?" Aria wondered, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. Ali nodded,

"I had to tell him. I didn't want to keep lying to him," Ali replied, "Having to tell him that I'm not the same daughter that he thought he had has been the hardest part. I mean, could you imagine, finding out your daughter ran away, leaving everything and everyone behind without a simple goodbye or explanation." Ali sounded shameful.

"Well it's not like it was your choice Ali," Emily protested, "We've all had to lie and hurt people we love because of Shana, but that's over now."

"Besides, your dad has been really supportive right? So forgive yourself a little bit, I'm sure he already has." Aria squeezed Ali's hand again, smiling lightly.

"I don't know what I'd do without you guys. After everything that's happened, I never knew for sure if I'd have anything to come back to when the time came. I was a horrible person, and I deserved everything I got, and it still makes me feel sick knowing everything bad that's happened to you is my fault. But believe me, I'll never let anyone else hurt you guys because of me. I know people in this town still hate me, and I want you to know that it really means a lot that you have stuck by my side. You really are the best group of friends I could have asked for." Ali wiped some stray tears from her eyes. She was different now, thanks to everything that she had endured those three years, and also because of her son. This little boy had saved her from becoming mean, and manipulative, and a liar again like she had been for such a long time. Emily gave her a tight hug, and Ali squeezed her hand.

"Now, enough with the past. We seriously need to have some fun again. There's a new movie opening tomorrow night, we could go to that?" Hanna suggested, lightening the mood.

"Sounds like fun." Aria agreed.

"I can pick you up." Emily told Ali.

"That would be great," She smiled back at her friend, "I'm excited."

* * *

><p>Ali was sitting at her desk finishing the last of her homework for the day before Emily picked her up. Since she would be taking time off school for the baby, Ali was trying her hardest to work ahead to finish as much of her schoolwork as possible. Because she was so far behind, Ali and her father had decided that she would attend school as long as possible before the baby was born in February. Ali was determined to give her baby the best life she could, so she had been spending most of her evenings at her desk. A soft knock on the door broke Ali from her focus. She turned to see Emily in her doorway.<p>

"Hey, your dad let me in. I'm a bit early, sorry." Emily said, walking into Ali's room and taking a seat on her bed.

"No worries, I was just doing some work. I'll get ready to go then!" Ali stood up, closing her new laptop.

"Sure." Emily smiled, as Ali pulled some clothes from her drawers and headed into the bathroom. Emily noticed a stack of Ali's ultrasound pictures on her nightstand, and gently started looking through them. She smiled as she saw the outline of Ali's baby, who she could already tell had Ali's nose. Emily looked up as the bathroom door opened, and gathered all the pictures back into a pile.

"These are amazing Ali," Emily told her, as she put them back, "You forgot to show me the other ones."

"I did, didn't I?" Ali replied, "I've been forgetting quite a few things, with school and pregnancy brain and everything. Believe it or not, it's a real thing." Ali laughed.

"I'm sure it is," Emily grinned, getting up from the bed, "Are you ready to go?"

"Uhm yeah, what do you think of this shirt though?" Ali was wearing a striped tank top and a warm grey cardigan with a pair of leggings and boots.

"You look great." Emily told her.

"Are you sure? I don't look like a whale? Cause I feel like one." Ali admitted, trying to button up the cardigan in front of the mirror.

"Ali, you look really good," Emily assured her, walking over to Ali, "You literally can't tell that you're even pregnant if you don't see your stomach." Ali laughed, as Emily looked at her through the mirror. Ali turned to her, and noticed how close they were standing.

"Em, I want you to know something," Ali said, "The only good thing that came out of my relationship with Cyrus was this baby. I thought I would never get to see you again, and that was the only reason why I started seeing him. But you were all I wanted when I was him, when I was away all this time. When I found out I was pregnant, I found myself wishing that you were by my side instead," Ali paused, "I just hope you know that I have always felt something for you, and I think I always will," She sighed, glad to have finally told Emily the truth that she had kept hidden for so long, "I'm sorry I tried to make you feel bad about who you were, and I'm sorry that I pushed you away all those years ago. I hated myself more every day that passed by for doing that to you, you didn't deserve that. You deserve the very best, and I'm clearly not-" Ali was cut off by Emily's lips on hers, and she found herself kissing her back, finally. After a few moments, Emily pulled back gently.

"You are the best Alison, you're my best." She said, before leaning in and kissing Ali again, wrapping her arms around her waist.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Authors Note: Hi everyone, here's the second chapter of my story! Thank you for the reviews on the first chapter, and for favouriting/following this story! It's so great to hear your feedback and to know that you guys are enjoying the story so far! Also, I just wanted to clear up that I may not write all the characters into my story (i.e Paige) but that doesn't mean that I'm writing it as if they never existed. Some things will be different than in the show, but I'll make sure all the details are clear so it makes sense. Feel free to ask any questions too :)**

_Ali paced anxiously back and forth, waiting to see her old friend. CeCe was the first person that came into Ali's mind to ask for help once she had found out. She didn't want to think about having to tell Cyrus, especially considering the state they were living in at the moment. Ali turned at the sound of footsteps, and was relieved to see her friend standing there. They greeted eachother with a hug._

_"Ali what's up? Is it A?" CeCe sounded concerned._

_"No, it's not that. It's just," Ali trailed off, trying to find the best way to say this, "I have to tell you something. I need your help, I don't know what to do."_

_"What's wrong? Tell me." CeCe put her hand on Ali's shoulder. Ali took a deep breath._

_"I'm pregnant." CeCe's eyes widened at her words. She thought briefly before replying to Ali._

_"Don't worry. It'll be okay. I'll help you get through this." She pulled Ali into a tight embrace. Tears formed in Ali's eyes as she leaned against CeCe._

_"I don't know if I can get through this CeCe. I mean, I'm living in a freaking basement, and A's still out there. I'm so stupid."_

_"Stop. Everything will work out. You'll see," She pulled back a few stray locks of Ali's blonde hair, "Everything will be okay."_

"Alison DiLaurentis." Ali looked up at the sound of the nurse's voice calling her name.

"Ready?" Emily asked from the seat beside her. Ali nodded, and they made their way through the waiting room to follow the nurse into the exam room. Emily had offered to take Ali to her doctor appointment this morning before school after her father hadn't been able to get out of a work meeting.

"You can take a seat, the doctor will be right with you." The nurse smiled before closing the door behind them.

"Thanks," Emily smiled back, going to sit down at the empty chair, "So were you able to go to many doctor appointments while you were still hiding?" Emily asked Ali.

"I went to as many of them as I could. CeCe had to drive me, and it took a while to get up there. Noel even took me a few times when CeCe couldn't," Ali replied, as she took a seat on the exam table, "He was actually the one who drove me to the appointment when I found out the gender."

"Back then, did you want a boy or a girl?" Emily wondered. Personally, she was excited that Ali's baby was a boy. Emily already knew how much fun they would have running around playing with him.

"Well I know everyone says that they don't have a preference and that they just want a healthy baby, but honestly with everything that was going on, I didn't give it much thought. I was more worried about keeping the baby safe, and hidden from A," Ali told Emily, giving her a light smile, "But when I found out it was a boy, I swear I've never been so excited." Emily grinned at her. Then they turned their attention to the opening door, and the doctor entered, clipboard in hand.

"Hello, how are you girls doing today?" The doctor flashed a bright smile, rolling her chair away from the desk and in front of the two girls, "I don't think we've met, I'm Doctor Kathleen Wilson." She reached her hand towards Emily.

"I'm Emily, nice to meet you." She smiled, shaking the doctor's hand.

"So how have you been feeling Alison? Any new symptoms?" She asked, reading through the paperwork on her clipboard.

"I've been okay," Alison started, "Lately he's been moving a lot at night and keeping me up, so I've been feeling even more tired than usual."

"Alright, well that's actually pretty common, and that movement is a good sign that he's healthy in there," The doctor said, "What I'd like for you to start doing is keeping track of how much you feel your baby move in one hour, each day. So whenever you have some spare time, write that down somewhere so we can make sure his activity remains on a continuous level these coming weeks. Now, I'll start with taking your blood pressure and then we'll get you on the scale." The doctor proceeded to perform the usual tests on Ali, before letting her lie back down on the exam table for the last part of the appointment.

"Everything is looking great, Alison. Now let's take a listen to your baby's heartbeat." She pulled out her Doppler device, as Ali pulled up her t-shirt. Soon the room was filled with the sound of the baby's steady heartbeat. Emily grabbed Ali's hand, surprised at how excited she felt. Ali had told her about the experience of being able to hear and see her baby, but Emily didn't expect it to be this amazing.

"All sounds good," The doctor smiled, giving Alison a hand to sit back up, "So now that you're 30 weeks along, I'd suggest you start thinking about booking a hospital tour, just so you can find out more information about how everything will happen in those few days when your little one arrives." The doctor said, handing Ali a paper towel to wipe the gel off.

"Okay, I'll be sure to do that then." Ali replied.

"Do you have any other questions or concerns?" Dr. Wilson asked her.

"Just about school, am I still okay to continue going? I'm planning on leaving around a month before he's due."

"Oh yeah, that's fine. As long as you remember to take it easy."

"Great, thank you." Ali said.

"Alright, so you can book your next appointment with the receptionist for two weeks from now, and feel free to give us a call if anything comes up."

"I'll be sure to. Thanks so much!" Ali smiled, hopping off the table.

"Thank you." Emily said to the doctor.

"It was very nice meeting you Emily. See you in a couple weeks!" Dr. Wilson smiled as she left the room. Emily took Ali's hand in her own as they went back out into the waiting room. They stood in the short line of other patients at the reception desk.

"I'm glad you came with me, Em." Ali smiled, giving her a light kiss on the lips.

"So am I," Emily replied, "It was amazing getting to hear his heartbeat. Makes you realize that he's a real, little person in there." She laughed, as they walked up to the reception desk to book Ali's next appointment.

* * *

><p>"Make sure you get those two booklets done for next Tuesday!" The teacher called out to the students as they headed out the door for their lunch break. Ali closed her textbook and stored her things away in the backpack she had started using lately. The doctor said it would be easier on her back than carrying a bag around, so she had given up her favourite purse. She pushed her chair in and walked to the front of the classroom, heading for the door.<p>

"Alison, may I speak to you for just a moment?" Mrs. Sherwood said. Alison walked back towards the teacher's desk.

"Sure." She replied.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"Oh, well I'm doing fine, thanks." Ali told her, surprised at the teacher's sincerity. Barely any of her teachers acknowledged her pregnancy, and if they did it was only to be polite.

"Good, now I want to make sure that you are aware of all the work expected of you. Just because you are," The teacher paused before continuing, "in a unqiue situation, doesn't mean that you get any special privileges. You haven't handed in your work this week, and I think I've been lenient enough by agreeing to assign you work much earlier than normal so that you can work ahead and pass my course. I'm afraid that won't happen if you continue with these bad habits. I think you have plenty to worry about as it is without adding worries about wether or not you'll graduate. I suggest you start making adjustments in your life, and start to take responsibility of the mistak-" The teacher stopped to rephrase her words, "Of the decisions you've made." She concluded, eyeing Ali's evident baby bump. Ali was surprised once again, but this time it was because of her teacher's tone. Of course, Mrs. Sherwood hadn't cared about how she was doing at all. Had her teacher really just called her baby a mistake?

"I'm sorry, I must have forgotten, but I did all my work for the week," Ali started looking through her backpack, trying to remember where she would have put her assignments, "I'm fully aware of what is expected of me, and I fully intend to pass your course." Ali told her, finally pulling out her sheets and handing them to the teacher.

"I should hope so." She replied coldly, turning away from Ali to erase the chalkboard. Ali threw her backpack over her shoulder and left the room. She started down the hall to her locker, irritated by the way the teacher had treated her. She was working so hard, and now she had another teacher on her back just because she had forgotten to hand in the work she actually had completed, and on time. Opening her locker, she grabbed her bottle of water and took a drink.

"Hey," Spencer walked up beside Ali, "How was your doctor's appointment." She asked her friend. Ali set her water down, and smiled at Spencer.

"Everything's still looking good." Ali told her, slightly subdued.

"Emily told me all about it, it was so cute, she's super excited." Spencer informed her as they started to make their way down the hall to meet the other girls, "I'm really happy for you guys. Emily hasn't been this cheerful in forever." Spencer said, as they neared their lunch table in the school's courtyard. Ali tried to give her a convincing smile. "Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen between you and Emily?" Spencer grabbed her arm, stopping them by the entrance to the courtyard. Ali shook her head,

"No, not at all! To be honest I haven't been this happy in forever too. It's just," Ali paused, "It's just one of my teachers, she pretty much just told me that I'm a failure. I forgot to hand in my work for this week, and now I'm pretty sure she thinks I'll never pass her course, much less graduate high school," Alison admitted, "She even told me that the baby's a mistake."

"Let me guess, it was Mrs. Sherwood, right?" Spencer replied sympathetically.

"How'd you know?" Ali wondered.

"She somehow always manages to make her students feel bad about themselves. Last year she practically told me up front how I'm a goody two shoes and that I should give the other students a chance to answer questions too," Spencer rolled her eyes, "Just ignore her, you'll do fine," Spencer reassured her friend, "Besides, who hasn't forgotten their homework at some point, especially considering everything that's been going on. I mean, even I have!" She laughed.

"Thanks Spence. I expected students to bother me about being pregnant, but I didn't consider that teachers might too. I'll prove her wrong." Ali sighed, as they finished the short way to their table where Hanna and Emily were already seated. Hanna looked up from her lunch and smiled as they joined the table.

"Hey." Spencer said softly, sitting down as Ali sat down beside Emily.

"Hi," Emily replied, "What were you guys talking about?"

"Oh just one of the many insensitive teachers we have the pleasure of being taught by here at Rosewood." Spencer said sarcastically.

"What happened? Did they tell you you're too smart again?" Hanna joked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Very funny, Hanna. Ask Ali." Spencer said, rolling her eyes at Hanna. Emily turned to Ali apprehensively.

"Not a big deal Em, Mrs. Sherwood was just unimpressed that I forgot to give her my work this week," Ali said, "She basically reminded me of how much I've screwed up my life by getting pregnant." Ali finished, unwrapping a granola bar.

"I don't understand why that old witch is still teaching here, I mean hasn't she gotten bored of insulting her students by now?" Hanna said frankly.

"Ali, you haven't screwed up your life," Emily told her, "You're home and safe here with your friends and family, and just because you're going to be a mom sooner than you'd like, doesn't mean you both won't have a great life." Ali grabbed Emily's hand. It was moments like these when she was reminded of just how much she loved Emily.

"Hey guys," Aria said, siting down to join her friends, "What did I miss?" She looked around at her four friends.

"Oh nothing, just some usual Emily sappiness." Hanna laughed, and Emily playfully punched her arm.

* * *

><p>Ali unlocked her house's front door, stepping through and wiping her feet on the rug.<p>

"Dad?" She called out into the large home.

"In here sweetie!" Kenneth shouted back from his office. Ali took off her shoes and dropped her backpack on a chair before heading into the kitchen. She grabbed a muffin from the counter and headed into her dad's office.

"Hi dad." She smiled at her father, leaning against the doorway.

"How was your day at school? And the doctor's appointment?" He asked, turning around in his computer chair to face her.

"It was great, he's still doing really well in there," Ali smiled, placing a hand on her bump, "Dr. Wilson told me to start keeping track of his kicks and that I can start looking into booking a hospital tour."

"That's great to hear. What did Emily think of it?" Her dad replied. Kenneth had been really supportive of his daughter's new relationship with Emily. He was relieved that his daughter was finally back home, and he was glad that she had Emily now too.

"She loved it! She was so excited when we heard his heartbeat. I'm really happy dad." Ali smiled.

"I'm so glad to hear that Ali." His eyes filled with sincerity.

"Then I had to stay after school with the guidance counsellor again. She keeps asking me the same questions over and over again." She sighed, taking a bite from her muffin.

"Like what?" Kenneth asked her.

"When I'm leaving school, if I've been keeping up with my work, if I'm planning on coming back..." Ali trailed off.

"Well good thing you've got a good answer for all of those," He told his daughter, "I'm impressed with how determined you've been to finish your studies. It will all pay off after the baby's born."

"That's what I'm hoping." Ali admitted. Kenneth sighed, looking down at the floor.

"Now, I know you don't want to hear this, but Detective Tanner wants the both of us to drop by the station. They want to ask us a few other questions for their investigation about your mother's death."

"Have they found a lead?" Ali frowned.

"I don't know, they didn't say anything else," Kenneth sighed, "So I told them we would go tomorrow. I'll pick you up from school okay?" Ali nodded, before turning to go back down the hallway. She didn't want to relive what had happened to her mom again, it had been hard enough getting through these last couple of weeks. Ali went up the stairs to go to her room, stopping to take a break once she reached the top. Lately she had been getting out of breath, and the doctor had told her it was because of the baby pushing up against her diaphram. She continued to her room to start her homework, still distracted by the thought of having to go in to the police station once again. As she sat down, she felt the baby move. She smiled, running her hand over the spot where she felt the little foot or hand.

"Hey baby, you okay in there?" Ali had found that she loved talking to her son, even though she didn't know if he could hear her or if he knew it was his mom's voice, "I'm doing all of this for you baby boy, and I can't wait to meet you." The baby kicked against her hand again, and Ali let out a quiet laugh, before turning back to her work.

**Authors Note: That's it for this chapter! It would be super awesome if you could leave me a review, I'd love to hear what you think! I hope you liked this chapter, and until next time :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Authors Note: Hey guys, hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks so much for reading!**

Emily walked down the school hallway, moving in between the other students as she headed towards Ali's locker. She had wanted to say goodbye to her before her dad picked her up. Emily knew that Ali wasn't looking forward to going into the police station, and wanted to wish her luck. All the girls had spent so much time talking to the police and detectives since Ali had come home, and they had all hoped that they wouldn't have a reason to go back. It seemed that Rosewood couldn't go more than a week without there being a new mystery. Emily spotted her girlfriend opening her locker.

"Hi." Emily said as she sneaked up behind Ali, who turned around to give her a kiss.

"Hey." Ali smiled, giving her another quick kiss before turning back to her locker.

"I'll walk you out." Emily said while Ali put some books into her backpack.

"Thanks Em," Ali grabbed Emily's hand in her own, shutting her locker, "How was your day?" They started down the hallway, dodging the students that rushed past them to get out the door and as far away from school that they possibly could.

"Good, I got an 86 on my English essay," Emily replied, "How about you? How's the baby doing today?"

"He's been kicking on my bladder all day during class," Ali laughed, "I had to go to the bathroom like three times during History." Emily chuckled. They rounded the corner, stepping out into the cool December air. They walked out to the sidewalk, and Ali looked around for her dad's car.

"Hey," Alison turned to look at Emily, "I know going back to the station is the last thing you want to do, but don't worry. You'll be fine, and we can meet later if you want okay?" Emily squeezed Ali's hand reassuringly. Ali sighed, pulling her into a hug.

"You always make me feel better, you know that?" Ali whispered in her ear, before pulling back and pressing her lips to Emily's. When they pulled apart, Emily kept her arms wrapped around Ali, who leaned against her, closing her eyes. They stood waiting for a few minutes, before Kenneth pulled up to the curb and rolled down the passenger window.

"Hi girls, sorry I'm late, there was a lot of traffic coming from work."

"Hi Mr. DiLaurentis." Emily greeted him with a wave.

"Hi Emily, I'm sorry to have to whisk Ali away, but you know how the police here are."

"I sure do," She replied to him, "I'll see you later Ali."

"Bye Em, I'll talk to you soon." Ali smiled, giving her another hug before joining her father in the car. Emily waved to them before heading towards the parking lot. The four girls had planned to meet at the Brew after school. Emily got into her car, throwing her bag in the passenger seat. Soon she pulled up to the coffee house, and saw Aria and Hanna getting out of Aria's car. She quickly joined them, and they took a seat on the couches where Spencer was already drinking a coffee.

"Hey." Spencer greeted as the girls sat down, before Aria offered to get them all their drinks.

"So Ali's at the police station now?" Spencer asked, taking a sip of her coffee. Emily nodded.

"I wonder why they asked them to go back, I mean wouldn't they have already answered all the routine questions right after they found Mrs. D?" Hanna said, shaking her head.

"I just hope this is the last time any of us have to go back to the station in a long, long time." Spencer sighed.

"Preferably for forever." Emily added, as Aria came back handing them their drinks.

"Thanks." Emily smiled, taking her Americano from Aria.

"I was thinking that we should take Ali shopping, for the baby and maybe some new clothes. We can take her out for a fun day, just the five of us," Aria said, taking a seat next to Hannah, "Me and Em were talking about it during lunch, before you guys and Ali joined us."

"That's a great idea, it'll be fun." Spencer agreed.

"I'm in, there's nothing better than spending a day shopping." Hanna smiled.

"How about Saturday? We can go down to the mall, and then maybe have lunch at my place? My parents will be out of town so we'll have the house to ourselves." Spencer suggested.

"Great, I think it'll be a nice surprise for her." Aria concluded.

* * *

><p>"We appreciate you coming in to the station today Alison," Holbrook stood up from his chair, wrapping up the meeting, "And we will continue trying our hardest to find who killed your mother." Ali nodded in reply, getting up from her chair.<p>

"Could I ask you something?" Ali waited for Holbrook's response before continuing, "Do you have any new information about Bethany? They haven't been saying anything on the news and.." Ali trailed off, but Holbrook jumped in.

"We're finding out as much as we can. Both of these cases are very, unique, but we will get to the bottom of it." He said, opening the door for Alison.

"Thank you." Ali walked out of the room, spotting her father, "Hi dad." She said as she neared him.

"How'd it go? Are you done?" He asked her, but she didn't have time to reply before Holbrook walked up to the pair.

"Thanks for coming in today Mr. DiLaurentis, we will be sure to let you know once we find out any new information." He informed Ali's father, shaking his hand.

"Alright, thank you Officer." Kenneth nodded, before guiding Ali towards the door.

"What did they ask you?" Ali wondered as they headed to the car.

"Well, let's just say that they seemed very interested in Jason." He sighed, opening the passenger door for Alison.

"So they asked you about him too? Do you think they suspect him or something?" Ali asked once her father was in the car.

"Well I wouldn't put it past them to suspect everyone in this town." Kenneth told her, starting the drive home. Ali pulled out her phone to send Emily a quick text letting her know she was done with the police station.

"Hey dad, is it okay if Emily comes over tonight?"

"Sure, do you remember I have to go to a work dinner tonight? There's some extra lasagna in the fridge, two servings." He smiled at Ali, grateful that his daughter would have somebody to keep her company.

"Thanks dad." Ali replied, sending another text to Emily inviting her over. Kenneth eyed the time on the car's dashboard, before making a right turn onto their street.

"Looks like we'll be right on time for the delivery truck."

"What time did they say again?" Ali wondered. She had been waiting for the baby's crib and dresser to arrive for a few weeks now, and was getting anxious about getting the nursery ready.

"Between 4 and 6." Her dad told her as they pulled up to their house. Ali's phone chimed, and she smiled as she read it was Emily, who agreed to come over as soon as she was done her coffee with the other girls. Ali trudged up the stairs, stopping to rest halfway up to catch her breath. She still had around 9 weeks left for the baby to arrive, but Ali was already growing a bit restless with how tired and uncomfortable she was feeling. Finally she reached her room, and she changed out of her jeans into some much more comfortable yoga pants before getting her laptop out. A little while later her dad knocked on the doorway where he stood and Ali turned around in her chair to face him.

"You leaving?" She guessed.

"Yeah, I'll be back around 8 or 9, and I left some money on the counter just in case."

"Great, I'll see you later dad." Ali said, and Kenneth nodded before heading for the stairs.

"Don't forget that the delivery people should be here soon," He called from the lower level, "Love you!"

"Love you too!" Ali called back before she heard the front door close. Ali continued her online search for nursery ideas. Before he left town, Jason had painted the nursery a light, pastel green color for Ali. She wanted her baby's room to have a comforting and calm feel to it, rather than making it the typical bright blue boy's room. Then the doorbell rang, and Ali hopped up to answer it, expecting for it to be Emily. She lifted the curtain in the small window next to the door to see if she was right, but instead saw a man standing beside two large boxes wearing a postal uniform. She swung the door open, greeting the delivery man.

"Hi there, I have a delivery here for Alison DiLaurentis?" He said, reading off the sheet he held.

"That's me." She smiled, taking the clipboard to give him her signature.

"Great," He took back the clipboard, setting it down while he reached for the boxes, "Here are both packages, I can get them in the door for you if you'd like?"

"That would be perfect, thanks." Ali moved out of his way as he pushed the boxes through her front door. Emily's car pulled up just as he finished carrying the last box in.

"There you go, have a nice day and we hope you enjoy your products." The man smiled, taking his clipboard with him.

"Thank you!" Alison replied warmly. Emily walked up the stairs to Ali's porch, passing the delivery man on her way up.

"Good afternoon." He said, before getting back into the delivery truck, and Emily smiled back.

"What did you order?" Emily wondered, giving Ali a peck on the mouth as she reached her.

"It's the crib and dresser." Ali smiled, closing the door behind them.

"Oh yeah, you ordered them a while ago didn't you?"

"Yeah, they take a couple weeks to ship apparently." Ali said.

"Do you need help moving them somewhere?" Emily asked hesitantly as she eyed the heavy-looking boxes, knowing she probably wouldn't be able to get them far anyway.

"No thanks Em, I'll figure out how to get them upstairs later." Ali replied, grabbing her hand as they walked up the stairs.

"You know, maybe Toby could help you out, Spencer could probably ask him if you want?" Emily suggested, but Ali didn't seem too convinced. Surprisingly when Ali had come home, Toby had given her a second chance, and he seemed to be willing to move on. Ali hadn't expected that people she had treated so badly would ever consider giving her another chance when she first came back to Rosewood, but so far a good fraction of people had been surprisingly accepting. She didn't want to make things awkward, especially now when things seemed to be going fine between her and Toby, on the few occasions they had seen eachother.

"Oh no, that's fine, I'm sure my dad can do it," Ali protested, "But thanks, Em." They reached the top of the stairs and started towards Ali's room.

"Hey, could I see the nursery again? I don't think I've seen what color you painted it." Emily asked, and Ali smiled.

"Of course! Well technically Jason painted it, but I chose the color, so it's gotta count for something right?" Ali laughed as she led Emily to the room, opening the door.

"It's so cute Ali," Emily squeezed her hand, "I love it." She said, admiring the nursery.

"I still have so much to do, I feel like I'll never get it done in time," Ali sighed, "I mean I still have quite a few things I need to buy, and not to mention building the new furniture."

"Don't worry, it'll be ready. I'll help you." Emily told her, wrapping her arms around Ali's back and giving her a kiss.

"I'm glad you're here Em." Ali said, her hands around Emily's neck.

"Me too," Emily smiled, putting a hand on Ali's bump, "And I can't wait to meet you either, little guy," She whispered, before looking back up to Ali, "Honestly, I'm really excited that he's a boy Ali."

"Me too," Ali replied, tucking a stray lock of Emily's hair behind her ear, "I just wish you would have been with me when I found out." Ali smiled lightly at the memory.

_"I'll be back in a half hour, I've got some things I need to take care of. I'll pick you up right here okay?" Noel told Alison, who was in the passenger seat of the car._

_"Okay," Ali replied, opening the car door, "I'll see you later." She closed the door and crossed the road to the medical centre, pulling her coat tighter. The cold October breeze made her shiver, and she quickly entered the clinic._

_"Hello." The young receptionist greeted Ali._

_"Hi, I have an appointment with Dr. Barrow."_

_"Great, you can take a seat and he'll be right with you." Ali smiled her thanks and went to take a seat. There were a few other people in the waiting room, mostly couples. Ali looked around self-conciously, noticing that she was the youngest one there, and the only one without a boyfriend or family member by her side. The other women were talking and smiling with their significant others, looking through baby magazines. It was in moments like these that Ali missed her old life the most. Cyrus had finally been able to get a job with another of the guys that lived in their shared basement, so he hadn't been able to come with her today. Some days she believed things would work out well between them, that he was getting more used to the idea of being a dad, maybe even excited. But other days he acted the complete opposite, and Ali couldn't help but imagine herself raising the baby by herself. She wished she didn't have to be alone, especially because today she would be finding out the gender of the baby. Ali grabbed a magazine and looked through the list of baby names until her name was called. After the doctor had done all the regular tests, she was moved to a different room to have her ultrasound. The nurse greeted her as she entered the room and began to set up the equipment._

_"Excited to find out what you're having today?"_

_"I can't wait." Ali said as the nurse squeezed some gel onto Ali's abdomen. The nurse moved the wand around, and soon Ali saw her little baby on the screen. Her eyes filled with tears as she admired her baby. This was her second ultrsound, but now the baby was much bigger than the first time, so Ali could see him or her much clearer._

_"Alright so today I'm just going to be doing some measurments and checking the baby's organs and vitals." The nurse informed Alison before continuing with her tests. Ten minutes later the nurse looked at Ali, a smile on her face._

_"Ready to find out?" She asked her, and Ali nodded her head eagerly, "You are having a baby boy!" The nurse smiled, "Congratulations!" Tears started rolling down her cheeks, and Ali laughed, so excited to be having a son. The nurse continued the ultrasound, and Ali couldn't rememeber the last time she felt this happy. She admired her baby's small feautures on the screen, his little nose and feet, and listened intently to the nurse as she explained to Ali that her baby was healthy and growing just right. Once she was done, Ali was given some pictures to take home, and booked her next appointment. As she sat in the clinic's waiting room to wait for Noel, Ali held the pictures close, looking at them again and again. She couldn't believe that this was her baby, in the pictures she had gotten from her first appointment he was so tiny she could only see a white dot. Now, he looked like a real, tiny person in there, and she knew she would do everything and anything for her baby, for her son._

Emily was lying curled up next to Ali on her bed, both of them having decided to lay down for a little while before they ate dinner. Emily's head rested on Ali's shoulder, and their hands were intertwined between them.

"Em, are you awake?" Ali whispered.

"Yeah." Emily replied, lifting her head from Ali's shoulder.

"Do you want to feel him kick?" Ali offered, and Emily immediately agreed.

"Right now? He's moving right now?" Emily sounded excited. Ali took her hand, placing it on her belly where the baby had been stirring. Emily's face brightened as she felt a kick, and then another one.

"Oh my god, that's amazing. Do you feel that?" Ali laughed at Emily's question.

"Of course I do!" The blonde giggled, taking Emily's hand and moving it again.

"This has to be one of the coolest things I've ever experienced," Emily told her girlfriend, "He's so strong." Ali noticed Emily's eyes water, and she gave her a kiss.

"You're so cute Em." Ali was constantly amazed by how sweet and thoughtful Emily was. The baby kept shifting around, with Emily smiling each time she felt a kick.

"Have you picked a name for him yet?" Emily asked Ali.

"I actually have, and I wanted you to be the first person to know. Tell me what you honestly think of it though, your opinion is as important as mine." Ali said.

"Okay, what is it?" Emily encouraged.

"Davin," Ali revealed, "In French it means beloved. I really wanted to give him a name with an important meaning, so I looked for French names, to represent that dream of ours to go to Paris together, and I don't think I have to explain the 'beloved' part, do I?" She concluded with a smile.

"I love it Ali, it's perfect," Emily told her, pulling her into a tight embrace, "Just like he'll be."

"Deep down, all this time, I knew that Davin would be his name. I had chosen it since before I even found out the gender." Ali admitted as Emily moved back to the spot beside her.

"Wait, before you came back to Rosewood?" Emily asked curiously.

"Yeah, why?" Ali replied, tilting her head towards Emily.

"Well, it's just that you chose it when we weren't together," Emily paused, "And you were still with Cyrus back then, but you still wanted a French name so that it had some meaning for our relationship?" Emily questioned.

"I wanted him to have a part of you. I wanted to be reminded of you everytime I said his name, I wanted to be reminded of us and the love I've always felt for you, and always will. All those years I was gone, I wanted nothing else but to be with you on that trip to Paris we never took, to see your gorgeous eyes and sweet smile again. I wanted my baby to have a little piece of what we had, what could have been, the family we could have been." Ali squeezed Emily's hand.

"So all that time, you had feelings for me?"

"Of course I did Em. I didn't think we'd be able to be together, I mean I didn't even know if I'd ever be able to come back to Rosewood, and much less how our relationship would be after everything," Ali confessed, "I guess I just wanted his name to be inspired by us, even though back then there was no us."

"That's one of the sweetest things you've said Ali." Emily smiled, pressing a kiss against Ali's lips, "I'm really happy that in the end, we are going to be that family you wanted, the one you didn't think you could have. You, me, and Davin." Emily said, leaning back against the pillows they were nestled on.

"Em?" Ali said, sitting up a little to face her, and Emily looked at her, "I love you." Ali smiled.

"I love you too, Ali." Emily grinned, giving her another kiss.

**That's all for today, I hope you liked this chapter! It would be super sweet if you left me a review to let me know what you thought/any feedback you have :) I hope you have an awesome day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Authors Note: Here is the next chapter, I hope you like it and thank you for reading! It would mean the world if you leave me a review, and I hope you have a great day :)**

Emily's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out while putting her plate on the coffee table in front of her. Ali was sitting beside her on the couch, eating a forkful of lasagna with her eyes on the TV screen as she watched the ending of the movie they had put on. Ali noticed that Emily had a look of concern on her face as she re-read the text she had gotten.

"What is it?" Ali asked her, furrowing her eyebrows.

"It's an SOS from Spencer." Emily said with a hint of worry. Ali apprehensively set down her plate, pausing the movie.

"Okay, well let's go." She told Emily, who quickly texted their friend back letting her know they would be right over. Emily nodded, helping Ali up from the couch and they quickly made their way out the door and across the yard to the Hastings' house. They knocked on the glass window of the backdoor, and Spencer let them inside.

"What happened Spence?" Emily inquired as they walked into the Hastings' kitchen.

"Melissa happened," Spencer said, "She made a video explaining everything. I knew her and my dad were hiding something." She sighed.

"What do you mean explaining everything?" Ali wondered, following Spencer to the couch.

"She buried Bethany Young." Spencer disclosed.

"What?" Emily gasped, taking a seat next to her. Before Spencer could explain any further, Hanna walked through the door.

"Hanna, where's Aria?" Spencer said as the blonde joined the group.

"She was with Ezra, she'll be here soon. What's going on guys?"

"Melissa buried Bethany Young, she left me a confession video," Spencer informed her, "But we should wait for Aria to watch it."

"Oh my god, it was Melissa? No wonder she keeps leaving town." Hanna speculated, sitting down next to Ali.

"At least we'll be closer to discovering what happened to Bethany that night." Emily squeezed Spencer's shoulder.

"Yeah, cause surprise, surprise, the police haven't been doing such a great job." Hanna rolled her eyes. The door opened, and Aria quickly entered, taking her scarf off as she neared the group.

"Hey, sorry, I got here as fast as I could," Aria sighed, "What's going on?"

"It's about Melissa," Emily paused, "she was the one who buried Bethany."

"She made a video, that's what I want to show you guys." Spencer added, opening her laptop.

"What?" Aria exclaimed, "She killed her?"

"Well she thought that I killed her." Spencer reminded them, placing the laptop on the table. The group gathered around as Spencer hit play, and they watched silently while the video rolled. After the video was over, a stillness lingered over the group as they tried to comprehend what they had just learned.

"So now what?" Hanna is the one to ask the question that they're all thinking.

"I don't know," Spencer sighed, "I think I'm going to give it to the police."

"That sounds like a good idea, Spence." Emily told her friend.

"We can go with you if you want?" Hanna offered, patting Spencer's knee.

"Thanks Hanna," She smiled at her, "But we can't tell anyone about this okay?" The group nodded in agreement.

"Are you at least going to tell your mom?" Aria wondered.

"I guess I have to, she should know the truth. I mean, my dad already does." Spencer replied, standing up from her spot on the couch and going over to the kitchen. She looked in a few drawers before pulling out a flash drive.

"I can't believe she waited this long to tell you." Emily shook her head, dissapointed that their friend had to deal with more family trouble.

"Better late than never right?" Spencer said, sarcasm evident in her voice as she grabbed her laptop and started exporting a copy of the video onto the flash drive.

"I have something to show you guys too," Aria announced, going through her bag until she found what she was looking for, "Eddie Lamb gave this to Ezra," She handed Bethany's drawing to Spencer for all the girls to see, "And he did it anonymously too. We think Bethany drew this while she was in Radley."

* * *

><p>"I'll go get her." Emily told her friends as she unlocked the back seat door of Spencer's car. She walked up to ring the doorbell of the DiLaurentis house, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear. It was Saturday, when the girls had planned to take Ali out for the day. Emily was hoping that they could all enjoy a stress free day, because now that there were new mysteries arising about Bethany and Mrs. D, Emily wasn't so sure how long their 'normal' lives would continue. Emily's thoughts were interrupted as the door opened, revealing a smiling Ali.<p>

"Hi Em." She pulled her in for a kiss, pressing her lips against the brunette's.

"How are you?" Emily said, resting her arms around Ali's back.

"I'm good now that you're here." Ali smiled.

"Well let's get going, we all came in Spencer's car." Emily told her as Ali grabbed her bag.

"And what exactly do you guys have planned for today?" Ali wondered, locking the door behind them.

"Oh well that you'll be finding out shortly." Emily teased, leading Ali back to the car as they both laughed. Emily opened the car door, letting Ali in first.

"Hey guys." Ali greeted her friends, taking a seat beside Hanna as gracefully as she could with her pronounced belly.

"Emily didn't spill on what we're doing today did she?" Hanna joked, giving her a playful smile.

"No she did not" Emily replied to her with a laugh, as she shut the car door. Spencer pulled out of the driveway and turned onto the street.

"Do you have the hiccups? You want some of my water?" Hanna asked Ali, reaching for her bag.

"I don't," Ali laughed, "He does." She pointed to her belly.

"Seriously?" Hanna sounded surprised, "Does he get them a lot?" Hanna asked her curiously.

"Oh yeah, at least twice a day," Ali said, "You can feel him if you want." She told Hanna, who nodded eagerly. Ali grabbed both her and Emily's hands, placing them on her stomach. They smiled as they felt the baby's rythmic hiccups against their hands.

"Have you thought of any names?" Aria asked from the passenger seat. Emily gave Ali a knowing smile.

"Actually, I already chose it!" Ali revealed.

"Oh my god you did? Tell us!" Hanna exclaimed, nudging Ali, who turned to Emily.

"Do you want to tell them?" She prompted, squeezing Emily's hand.

"Okay," Emily started, "His name is Davin."

"Aw, it's beautiful Ali." Aria said sincerely, shooting her a grin.

"I love it! I can't wait to meet my little nephew." Hanna shrieked.

"That's a great name Ali, it's so unique!" Spencer added, taking a left onto the street that would lead them to their destination of the mall.

"But why did Emily know before us?" Hanna whined jokingly, and Emily laughed.

"Well there are certain advantages of being the girlfriend." She told Hanna.

"More than just that one I hope." Ali teased, and Emily just gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Well I think you can guess by now where we're taking you." Aria said, noticing that the mall was only a block away.

"We thought it would be fun to spend a day shopping, cause I love you but you've been rotating between the same three shirts and its driving me insanse!" Hanna proclaimed to Ali, causing her to giggle.

"You can't blame me, they're all that fit me now." Ali exclaimed as the others laughed.

"That's why today you'll get as many new clothes as can fit in my truck." Spencer said, pulling into a parking spot. The group started getting out of the car, and Emily gave Ali a hand as she stepped down onto the cement.

"Good thing you told me to wear my good shoes today." Ali told Emily, who took her hand in her own.

"By the looks of Hanna, we'll be here for a while." Emily giggled as they walked alongside their friends. Hanna shot Emily a narrow-eyed look before breaking into a grin.

"Hey, you guys are just as excited as I am to have a fun day with no detectives," Hanna then turned to Aria, "Or Radley patients involved, let's be honest here." She laughed, and the girls smiled in defeat.

"How's that going by the way?" Spencer asked Aria, "Any updates?"

"Not really, I've been trying to talk to Big Rhonda more but it's been hard to get away from the employees. I haven't been able to talk to her alone since the sketchbook incident." Aria told them with a sigh.

"We still need to figure out a way to get you into those files, there's got to be more information in Bethany's file." Alison added as they entered the mall.

"We'll figure something out." Spencer replied, before Hanna broke away from the group to admire some shoes in a store window.

"Come on guys, I've got to try those on!" Hanna waved them over before going into the store. Her friends gave eachother a knowing look before following her inside to start their day of shopping.

* * *

><p>"This is adorable." Emily held up a tiny onesie with little whales all over it.<p>

"It really is." Aria smiled as she looked through the rack of tiny baby clothes beside Hanna. The girls were now at one of the many baby stores in the mall, as Ali still needed to buy a few things for Davin. Spencer had offered to accompany an employee from the first baby store that they had gone to, to the car so he could load the boxes of the stroller travel system Ali had picked out.

"Ali, you have to get this!" Emily told her girlfriend, showing her a little Santa outfit that she had gotten from one of the holiday themed displays in the store.

"Em, you do remember that he's going to be born in February right?" Ali laughed, "By the time his first Christmas comes around that'll be way too small!" Emily just shook her head before reluctantly putting the outfit back and walking over to Ali, who was looking at changing tables. Spencer then entered the store, and walked over to join her friends.

"Did it fit in the trunk okay?" Ali asked her, and Spencer nodded in reply.

"Yep, it's all set." She smiled.

"Thanks Spence," Ali told her.

"Hey, how do you like this one? It goes with the white furniture theme." Emily suggested, motioning to a white changing table that had a shelf and a drawer on the bottom half for storage.

Ali walked over to join her, and evaluated the changing table before nodding.

"I think this one will do, it's even the same brand as his crib," Ali smiled, "You're good at this Em." She laughed, giving her a peck on the mouth. After they picked out some more cute baby outfits and a couple of storage baskets and bins for the nursery, they were ready to check out. Spencer was looking at some decorations at the back of the store while Ali was given the box that contained the changing table and payed at the register.

"Ali, come look at this." Spencer called out, and Ali smiled apologetically at the girl behind the cashier before making her way over to Spencer.

"What is it?" She asked as she neared the brunette, who pointed at all the wall decals that were on display.

"These are so cute," Ali said excitedly, "I'm glad you saw them Spence."

"Have you chosen some sort of theme for his nursery?" Aria asked Ali, rummaging through a few of the decorations.

"I was thinking of making it a nature theme." Ali told them, as an employee walked up to the group.

"Hi girls," The older woman smiled brightly, "Did I overhear that you're thinking of having a nature-themed nursery?" Ali nodded in response, and the woman walked over to one of the store racks, "You should take a look at these, we just got some new shipments and I noticed some wildlife and forest themed decals in the bunch."

"That would be great." Ali smiled, starting to look through the products.

"Well let me know if you need any more help." The woman smiled in valediction.

"Thank you." Ali told her, before turning back to the decal she was holding. It came with three thin, detailed trees that had leaves branching out at the top, and some extra animal and plant stickers.

"What do you guys think of this one?" Ali held it up for her friends to see.

"It's perfect, the colors go really well with the nursery." Emily told her, referrring to the brown, white and green combination of the trees. Their friends nodded in agreement.

"I think this is it." Ali said with a grin, before giving the cashier the new item to scan. The girl put the reciept in one of the bags, handing them to Aria and Spencer while Ali grabbed the large casing that contained the wall decal.

"Em do you need help with that?" Alison asked, as Emily went to pick up the changing table box.

"I'm okay." Emily shook her head, hoisting the box under her arm.

"If you say so." Hanna added, and the group went towards the door.

"I'm starving." Aria said as they walked out into the plaza.

"Are you guys ready to go then?" Spencer asked the group.

"I think so, I'm super hungry too." Hanna answered, and the others nodded in harmony.

"Great, let's head out then." Emily said as they headed to the exit of the mall.

"Well that was fun guys," Ali said, "I'm so glad I got more of the things I needed for the baby." She held the door of the mall open for them all as they left the mall. The cold December air engulfed them as they walked through the parking lot.

"And you finally have some new outfits for you too!" Hanna squealed, provoking a teasing eye roll from Alison.

"He's going to be so spoiled by all of us, I can already picture it." Aria smiled, opening the trunk of Spencer's car.

"Oh he definitely will be." Spencer said as she put the bags in the trunk. Once everything was packed away, they piled back into the car to continue their day.

"Thanks for doing this you guys." Ali said warmly from the backseat.

"Of course." Hanna squeezed her hand as Spencer pulled out of the parking lot.

"Now it's time to eat!" Spencer announced, starting the drive back towards their neighbourhood.

* * *

><p>"That was so good." Aria said as she set the stack of their empty plates on the Hastings' kitchen counter. The group was sitting around the marble island having just finished eating lunch. Spencer raised her eyebrows slightly at Emily from the seat across from her, signaling for her to get Ali to the living room so that they could all give her the presents that they had each gotten her.<p>

"Come on, let's take a seat in the living room." Emily grabbed Ali's hand, helping her off the bar stool. As they went to take a seat, the other girls disappeared into the other room to grap the presents.

"Where is everyone?" Ali asked, noticing that it was just her and Emily sitting down. Emily just shrugged, smiling shyly. "Em, what are you guys up to?" Before she could reply, the other girls came back into the room holding gift bags.

"Oh my god you guys, you didn't have to do this!" Ali exclaimed, her eyes filled with surprise.

"We know," Aria said, taking a seat on the couch, "But we wanted to." She smiled. Ali looked at Emily, just shaking her head at how sweet her friends were.

"I'll go first." Emily said, taking her present from Hanna and giving it to Ali. She gave Emily a quick kiss before opening the bag. She unwrapped a medium-sized square box first, which turned out to be the baby carrier that Ali had mentioned to Emily she wanted to get.

"Em! This is perfect, it's the one I really wanted." Ali shrieked, wrapping her girlfriend in a tight embrace. Emily laughed, and then motioned towards the bag so Ali would unwrap the other things inside. Ali took off the wrapping paper gently, feeling that it was a glass picture frame. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw the ultrasound picture in the black frame, which had 'Davin' engraved on the top.

"This is beautiful Em, I love it." Ali kissed Emily as a few stray tears rolled down her cheek.

"I love you." Emily whispered as they pulled apart, and Ali put both things back into the bag. She noticed an envelope, which she grabbed, "You can read the card later." Emily told her, and Ali smiled.

"My turn!" Hanna exclaimed, pushing her present onto Ali's lap. Ali opened Hanna's present, which was a white and grey striped diaper bag filled with a few baby onesies and accessories. She gave her friend a tight hug, happily putting the bag beside Emily's present. Then it was Spencer's turn, who had bought her a baby moniter and bouncer, and a few baby books.

"Thanks Spence, these are all great!" Ali said as she embraced the brunette. Lastly she opened Aria's present, which was a little sky blue bathtub that had sea animals painted all over it. There were also several picture frames inside, and a little envelope taped to one of them that contained a note explaining how Aria would take the baby's newborn pictures once he was born.

"You guys are seriously amazing, now I've got everything I need and more!" Ali said, her eyes watering again at how lucky she was to call these girls her friends.

"Well not everything..." Hanna said mischievously.

* * *

><p>"This was the last bag!" Aria sighed, setting down one of many shopping bags beside the pile of Ali's new shopping.<p>

"Good thing that we're off school now for the holidays, you'll have more time to get everything organized." Hanna said as they started up the stairs to the nursery. Once they reached the top, Aria quickly slipped into the room first to double check that their surprise was in place.

"You guys really love secrets don't you." Ali said jokingly as they waited outside the closed nursery door before Aria let them in. Ali entered the room, and gasped when she saw the beige glider chair in the corner of the nursery. There was a pastel green cushion on the chair, and a sealed white envelope. She turned back to look at her friends with a smile.

"It's so beautiful." She said, walking over to the glider and picking up the envelope gently.

"Open it." Aria urged with an excited tone. Inside were various gift cards for a variety of services offered at the local Rosewood Spa.

"The spa was Emily's idea, but we wanted to give you something that was from all of us." Spencer revealed as Ali looked up at them. She rushed over to give each of them a hug.

"Thank you." Ali whispered in Emily's ear lastly, putting her arms behind Emily's neck as they kissed. "I love you guys, this day was filled with the best surprises ever. I can't believe you did all this without me finding out!"

"Well you haven't been at the top of your game lately, with this whole baby brain thing you've got going on." Hanna joked, before Ali playfully punched her arm. They finished putting the shopping and presents in the nursery amongst the other baby things Ali had left in bins and on the floor that she still had to organize.

"Hey is that the crib?" Spencer asked, pointing to the large box leaning against one of the walls.

"Oh yeah, it is. It arrived a few days ago." Ali told her.

"You know, Toby could totally help you build it if you want. I mean, he's the one who built the chair, and I'm sure he could get it done soon." Spencer offered with a little shrug. Ali looked at Emily with a knowing look, thinking she had asked Spencer to offer, but Emily shook her head in defense.

"He built it? Really?" Ali said.

"Yeah, don't you remember, he's like a pro at carpentry and all that stuff!" Spencer laughed.

"I know he is, but I just didn't expect him to do that for me." Ali admitted shyly. Spencer walked over to her friend, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Ali, sometimes people are much more forgiving than you'd expect. Believe me, Toby is already past the forgive and forget stage."

"Well that's good to hear then, and I would really appreciate it if he could. My dad seemed a little weary when I asked him, and I don't think I'd get very far with this one," Ali put her hands on her belly, "In the way."

"Great, I'm pretty sure he could come over next weekend. Does that work?" Spencer suggested.

"Sure, thanks Spence." Ali smiled, giving her a hug.

"Alright, well we should get going." Hanna said, walking over to give Ali a goodbye hug, "I hope you liked your day." Ali pulled her into an embrace.

"I loved it, thanks for everything Han." They all said their goodbye's, until it was just Ali sitting on her new chair in her baby boy's room.

"You have some crazy aunties, don't you baby?" Ali whispered, and she smiled as she felt Davin kick against her palm, which she took as him agreeing.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you liked this chapter! I'd really appreciate a review, and feel free to follow/fave this story to get all the updates :) Have a nice day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Authors Note: Here's the next chapter for this story, thanks so much for reading and I hope you like it :)**

Emily added a handful of croutons to the large bowl of salad she was making for dinner, while her mom was preparing the chicken.

"So how are things going with Ali?" Pam asked her daughter as she started grilling the chicken.

"Really well actually," Emily replied, "I'm really happy."

"How is she doing," Pam asked with a smile, "With the baby and everything?"

"Good I think, she has everything that she needs and I can tell that she's excited for him to get here," Emily paused, "I am too." She smiled, grabbing the salad dressing.

"Well a new baby is always exciting," Pam smiled back as Emily took the salad to their dining room table. "I was actually thinking that we should have her over for dinner one of these days, now that you girls are on winter break."

"That would be great, thanks mom." Emily told her, walking back to the kitchen counter.

"Emily," Pam started, "I just want you to know that both you and Ali always have me to talk to, about anything. I know that these past few months have brought a lot of change, and it can't be easy getting ready for a baby after all that's happened."

"Mom-" Emily tried to cut in.

"I just want to make sure that you know that, and now that you and Ali are in a serious relationship, I want her to know that she has my full support. I know how much you love her Emily, and I can tell that you love that baby just as much. I'm not sure if you and Ali have talked much about what your future will look like when the baby is born, but as long as you're happy, I'm happy." Emily walked over to her mom, giving her a tight hug.

"Thank you mom, that means a lot. And I know that it will mean a lot to Ali that you're so supportive." Emily said warmly. Once they pulled apart, Pam tucked some of Emily's hair behind her ear.

"I'm so proud of you Emily, Ali is a lucky girl to have you, not only for herself but for her son. Now go and give her a call, ask her if she's free tomorrow." Emily nodded with a shy smile and went to grab her phone.

* * *

><p>Alison moved the frame slightly to the right and stepped back, making sure that it was straight. After a few other adjustments, it was finally level, and Ali admired the picture of Davin. Emily's gift was perfect, and she hadn't been able to wait to put it up in the baby's nursery. She turned to the piles of baby things yet to be organized, and took a seat on the floor to start putting them in the storage bins she had gotten. In a few days, this Saturday, she had her 32 week check up at the doctors. Ali couldn't believe that she was a mere 8 weeks away from meeting her son. Somedays she wanted him to just get here already, but others she wished that time would slow down so she could cherish every kick or hiccup. She thought back to the day that she had first felt him kick, it had been a few days before she had found out that she was having a boy.<p>

_Ali was reading one of the books from the large bookcase that was in the basement's living room, while Cyrus took a shower._

_"Hey do you want some too?" Valerie called out to her, box of macaroni in her hand. Ali shook her head._

_"I'm okay, thanks though." Valerie just nodded, before offering some to their other roommates who were sitting around the living room playing cards and counting cash. Cyrus and one of their roommates, Ryan had gone to meet a friend of a friend's who could possibly be giving them both jobs. Ali hoped that it worked out, since she knew that they needed to get out of the basement and into a place of their own before the baby came. It would be easier to hide from A, and much safer too, but so far it had been hard for Cyrus to get a stable job. Cyrus came out of the bathroom in a grey t-shirt and shorts, drying his hair with a towel before joining Ali on the couch. He grabbed her hand in his._

_"So how did the meeting go?" Ali said, brushing his hair down and out of his face. He leaned back against the couch before replying._

_"It was pretty good, I think we've got a good shot."_

_"Really? You think he'll give you the job?" Ali said hopefully._

_"That's what I'm hoping." Cyrus said, playing with Ali's bracelet's._

_"Me too." Ali sighed, going back to reading her book._

_"Food's almost ready guys!" Valeria announced from the stove. Ali sat up, setting her book down again._

_"I'm going to help her out." She said, before giving Cyrus a light kiss. Ali went to stand up, but all of a sudden felt a little twitch in her stomach. She stopped, putting her hands on her bump._

_"What's wrong?" Cyrus asked, puting his hand on her shoulder. Ali smiled as she felt another fluttering feeling._

_"I think the baby's moving." She told him, looking up at his eyes._

_"Really?" Cyrus replied, letting her take his hand and put it on her bump._

_"What's going on over there you guys?" Valerie called out to the them with a questioning look._

_"I felt the baby move!" Ali said enthusiastically, prompting Valerie to make her way over to them. Ali grabbed her hand too, placing it beside Cyrus'. After a few minutes with no movement felt, Ali sighed in defeat, letting go of Cyrus and Valerie's hands._

_"I think it's too early for you guys to feel it, but it was definitely the baby moving in there." Ali said._

_"Well that's still really cool, it makes you realize that it's a real little person in there." Valerie smiled, going back to the kitchen._

_"Yeah, it really does." Ali whispered._

_"Well I guess I'll have to wait a little while longer to feel him or her kick, huh?" Cyrus said._

_"We can ask the doctor how much longer at the appointment on Tuesday." Ali smiled, before joining Valerie to serve dinner._

Back then, Ali hadn't known that Cyrus would never feel their son kick, or even find out that they would be having a son. It was that Tuesday night that Ali had come home from her gender appointment, that Cyrus had stabbed her and ran. She stood up from the floor, moving the now full bins and baskets to one side of the room before going over to the gifts her friends had given her. She started placing some of the books that Spencer had gotten for Davin on the shelves that hung beside the closet. As she was setting "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" beside "Where the Wild Things Are," Ali heard her phone chime from her pocket. She smiled as she read the text from Emily, inviting her over for dinner the following day. After replying that she would be there, she remembered the card that she had yet to read from Emily. Ali searched through the gift bag until she pulled out the sealed envelope, taking a seat in the glider to read.

_Dear Alison,_

_I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your ultrasound picture for a few days, but knowing how forgetful you've been these past few weeks, I don't think you noticed it was gone! I want you to know how much you mean to me, and how excited I am for Davin to get here. We've been through so much together, but in the end, you are worth it all. I want you to know that I am committed to being with you for the rest of my life, and I already love this baby more than I could have imagined. I'll always be here for you and Davin, no matter what. I know that becoming a parent is the hardest, but most amazing journey you can go on in life, and if it's what you want, I would love nothing more than to go on this journey together, as a family. You're my best, always remember that._

_I love you so much,_

_Emily_

Tears slipped out of Ali's blue eyes as she read the words that Emily had written her. She smiled, wiping her eyes as she stood up to place the card on the shelf beside a teddy bear.

* * *

><p>Emily was just turning on the dishwasher when the doorbell rang.<p>

"I'll get it!" She announced, as her mother started to stand up from the couch. Emily walked over to the door, looking through the window before opening it with a smile.

"Hey, did we have a date that I forgot about?" Emily said playfully, before being pulled into a tight embrace by Alison. The blonde pulled back, pressing her lips against her girlfriend's, "What was that for?" Emily giggled, her hands resting on Ali's waist.

"That was for being the sweetest, most amazing girlfriend I could ask for." Ali sighed, her eyes shining. "I read your card," Ali explained, "And you're the only person I want, and have ever wanted, to go on this journey with me. We're already a family, Em." Emily smiled, her hand finding the blonde's face.

"I love you," She whispered, pulling Ali into another kiss. She rested her hand on Alison's belly, "Both of you."

"We love you too," Ali said, "Looks like he agrees with me." She smiles, as Emily feels the baby kick against her hand. Emily crouched down to rest her ear against the baby.

"Hey baby," Emily whispered against Ali's belly, "It's Emily. I love you and your mommy so much, and I can't wait until I get to meet you." Ali smiled at her girlfriend's sweet words, feeling the baby kick in response to her voice.

* * *

><p>"They're so tiny." Ali breathed from the other side of the hospital's nursery window.<p>

"Look, those are twins." Emily pointed out, and Ali noticed the two tiny baby's wearing matching pink hats that had the same last name written on their bassinets. Kenneth was talking to one of the nurses that had been giving them a tour of the hospital, going over all the information that they had been given.

"Can you believe that pretty soon it'll be Davin in one of those bassinets?" Alison said, turning to look at Emily, who gave her a smile.

"I can't wait." Emily wrapped her arm behind Ali's back, holding her close as they admired all the newborns in blue and pink hats. Kenneth and the nurse walked over to the couple, and the nurse handed Ali some forms.

"These are for you to take home, they have all of our policies and all the information I've given you today just in case you want to go over anything."

"Great, thank you for showing us around today." Ali told her, as they walked back towards the elevator.

"You're very welcome! I'll be seeing all three of you in a few weeks to have a baby then!" The nurse smiled, pressing the button of the elevator for them.

"We'll see you soon then," Kenneth said, shaking her hand, "Thank you."

"Hopefully not too soon though." Ali said jokingly as the elevator doors opened.

"Thanks again!" Emily said as the trio entered the elevator, and the friendly nurse gave them a wave before going back to the reception.

"Well this is a great hospital, I'm impressed by how organized everything is." Kenneth said once the elevator doors closed.

"Yeah, she was really nice." Emily added.

"I'm glad we came," Ali replied, "It's much more reassuring knowing what will happen when we get here on day of the real thing." They exited the elevator into the parking lot, making their way to Emily's car, who had driven them all there.

"You should start packing your hospital bag like Nurse Burke suggested." Kenneth told his daughter on the way home.

"Oh right, I can't forget to do that!" Ali replied.

"Have you picked a coming home outfit for the baby yet?" Emily wondered.

"Yeah, I'll show it to you next time that you come over. I just need to get him a warmer jacket, since it'll still be chilly in February." Ali said, as Emily pulled up into the DiLaurentis driveway.

"Thanks for the ride Emily, hopefully I'll be getting my car back from the shop tomorrow." Kenneth smiled, before getting out of the car.

"No problem Mr. DiLaurentis," Emily said as he exited the car, "I'll see you later for dinner then?" Emily said as Ali reached to open the car door.

"I'll be there at 6." Ali nodded, giving Emily a kiss before stepping out of the car.

* * *

><p>Pam looked up from the oven where she was checking the roast at the sound of the doorbell.<p>

"Emily! Alison's here!" Pam called up the staircase as she went to open the door, "Hi Alison." She said warmly, giving the blonde a hug.

"Hi Mrs. Fields, thank you for inviting me over today!" Ali smiled as she stepped in from the cold, taking off her winter coat.

"Here, I'll hang that up for you." Pam took the coat from her hands, going to the closet. Emily appeared at the top of the stairs, and quickly made her way down.

"Hi." She smiled once she reached Ali, giving her a peck.

"Hi," Ali smiled back, "I was just thanking your mom for having me over."

"Well she insisted." Emily teased, as they walked over to the kitchen area. Emily pulled out a chair for Ali at the island, and walked over to the fridge to get them some drinks.

"So I've noticed that there's even more Christmas decorations than the last time I was here." Ali laughed.

"Turns out I had forgotten to unpack an extra box or two." Emily said with an eager smile, and Ali giggled at her girlfriend's love for the hoiday season.

"So Ali, how have you been? Emily was telling me about the tour of the hospital you guys had today, it sounds great."

"Yeah I really liked this hospital, going on the tour makes me a bit less nervous about the whole thing." Ali admitted as Emily handed her a glass of soda.

"Don't worry too much, you'll be fine honey," Pam said warmly, "It will all be worth it when you meet your baby."

"That's what I hear." Ali replied with a nervous smile.

* * *

><p>"I'll take that for you." Emily said, reaching for Ali's plate while balancing the two she was already holding.<p>

"Thanks Em," Ali replied, turning to face Pam who was sitting beside her, "That was delicious Mrs. Fields, thank you."

"I'm glad you liked it." Pam said, as Emily left the dining room, "So, do you have anything left to do to get ready for the baby?"

"Just his furniture. I still need to build his crib and dresser, and the bassinet for the first few months that he'll be in my room," Ali nodded, "Spencer actually volunteered Toby to help me out."

"That's great, I'm sure he'll get that finished for you in no time. I've got to admit that I'm very excited myself, I don't think we've had a baby in the family for years now." Ali's heart warmed at Pam's use of the word family. "If you need any help whatsoever, besides Emily's of course, I'm more than happy to help."

"That means more than you know," Ali said, "All I've ever wanted for my son is for him to have a loving family, and I didn't think that that would be possible before I came back."

"Oh he will Ali, I know how much Emily loves you, and the baby too. You can tell just by the way she looks at you."

"Dessert will just be a minute!" Emily called out from the kitchen.

"The feelings are mutual Mrs. Fields. She saved me, quite literally too." Ali winced as she felt a sharp kick in her side.

"Are you alright?" Pam asked, her eyebrows furrowed in worry, but Ali nodded.

"He's just kicking, a lot," She reassured, and Pam smiled in relief. "Do you want to feel?" Ali offered, taking Pam's hands and placing them on the top of her stomach.

"Feel that?" Ali smiled at the older woman. Pam nodded excitedly as she felt the baby's little feet kick against her palm.

"Wow, he's a strong little guy isn't he." Pam said, and Ali laughed in agreement before Emily entered the room with some plates and forks.

"I can help you with that honey." Pam said, giving Ali a warm smile before getting up and going to get the dessert she had made earlier. Emily walked back to her seat, grabbing Ali's hand as she sat down.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Emily wondered, playing with the rings on Ali's fingers.

"Just about Davin, she felt him kick." Ali smiled at her girlfriend.

"That's sweet, don't tell her that I told you, but I think she's just as excited as I am for him to get here." Emily admitted, knowing that it was important for Ali to know about all the support she had.

"I'm really happy Em," Ali started, "I still can't believe that I'm lucky enough to call you mine." Emily pulled her into a gentle kiss.

"I'm the lucky one." Emily whispered in her ear as they pulled apart, just in time for Pam to enter with a blueberry pie.

* * *

><p>"Can you pass me that bag?" Toby pointed towards the small ziploc that had come with the furniture. Emily tossed it to him, and she went back to putting the mattress into the white crib that she and Toby had built earlier.<p>

"Do you want some help?" Emily asked Toby, who was currently attaching the last wall to the baby's dresser.

"Sure, I just need you to hold the pieces in place while I drill the last nails in." He told her, running a hand through his dark hair. She walked over to him, and held the white wooden pieces together as he grabbed the nail drill.

"Thanks for doing this Toby, it's a huge help," Emily said, "And it means a lot to me, and Ali especially. I know you guys didn't have a good relationship, and it's probably been a bit weird-" Before Emily could finish her sentence, Toby cut in.

"It's no problem Em," Toby looked up at her, "I know how much she means to you, and I'm just glad that you're happy. Like I told Spencer, we wouldn't be us if we didn't believe in second chances, and the Alison that came back here is a new person than the girl who disappeared three years ago." Emily smiled at her friend, before he turned on the electric drill. Once he was done, they both moved the dresser beside the changing table, which Ali's dad had built for her.

"Now we just have to build the drawers." Toby said, walking over to the box to grab the remaining pieces. As they started setting up the wood panels, they heard the front door open.

"It's probably Ali." Emily said, checking the time.

"Dad?" Ali called out as she entered the house, closing the door behind her.

"It's us, come up here!" Emily shouted back down the hallway. A few minutes later Ali walked into the doorway of the nursery.

"Hi guys." Ali smiled, slightly confused as to why they were here before she had gotten home, "I thought we had said 2?"

"We did, but Emily thought it would be a good idea to get a head start." Toby replied, and that's when Ali noticed all the new furniture.

"Oh my god it's all done!?" She said excitedly, "You guys are insane."

"Your dad let us in on his way out." Emily giggled.

"Wow, the crib looks so good. Thank you so much, I don't know what I'd do without you guys." Ali said warmly, going over to sit beside her friends. She grabbed the pieces to make one of the drawers, peeking at the instructions Emily had laid out.

"How did your doctors appointment go?" Emily asked, knowing that Ali had just gotten back from a check up.

"It went well, he's doing good and everything's going the way it should be for this point," Ali sighed as she tried to get comfortable, "Apparently he weighs around 4 pounds."

"Isn't it crazy that all of this stuff," Toby said motioning to all the things spread out in the room, "Is going to be for such a tiny person?" Ali and Emily laughed at his comment as they worked on the drawers.

"It's pretty crazy." Emily replied, her eyes bright.

"Almost done?" Toby asked them, standing up with a finished drawer in his hands. He walked over to the dresser and pushed it in, standing back to look at their work.

"Yeah, almost." Emily said, twisting the last handle into the drawer. Ali set her finished drawer aside, going to stand up. Toby gave her a hand, and she gratefully took it.

"Thanks, lately it's been getting so much harder to do things as easy as get up." Ali laughed, going to put the drawer in.

"I can imagine." Toby said sympathetically, and Emily went to put in the last drawer. The three of them admired the finished furniture.

"It looks amazing, I'm glad I went with white." Ali told them.

"It does look pretty good." Toby said.

"Do you guys want something to eat? The least I could do to thank you both for your help is make you guys a snack." Ali suggested to them, and they nodded in agreement. Emily turned off the nursery's light as they left the room, heading down the stairs. As they walked into the kitchen, Emily's phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket.

"It's my mom, probably asking about the details for the Christmas dinner." Emily joked, referring to the holiday dinner that the Hasting's were hosting this year. She walked over to the living room as she picked up the phone, leaving Toby and Ali in the kitchen. Ali started going through the pantry, before pausing and turning to Toby who was sitting at the kitchen bar.

"Toby," He looked up, "I just wanted to thank you, not only for helping me today, but for forgiving me. When I decided to come back, I really wanted to make things right, and I honestly didn't know if that would be possible. You're a great guy, and I know I've already told you this, but I really, really, regret how I treated you."

"I know, Ali. Don't worry about it, the past is in the past. Emily is my best friend, and believe me when I say that I've never seen her this happy. I know that you guys are meant for eachother, and you're not the same Ali I knew from before." Toby said genuinely, prompting Ali to smile. Emily walked back into the kitchen joining them.

"I was right, she wanted to know if she was forgetting to buy anything for the dinner." Emily rolled her eyes playfully.

"How do nachos sound? We have some tortilla chips and cheese, I could throw some in the oven if you guys want?" Ali proposed.

"That sounds good." Toby replied, and Emily smiled at her girlfriend. As Ali pulled out a baking tray, the doorbell chimed, the sound ringing throughout the house.

"I'll get it," Emily said as she walked over to open the door, revealing a flustered Spencer. "Spencer? What's wrong?" At the sound of his girlfriend's name, Toby stood up and walked over to the door beside Emily.

"Hey, what's going on?" Toby asked her, his eyebrows furrowed with worry at her nervous state. By then, Ali had also walked over to see what was happening with their brunette friend.

"It's Melissa," Spencer took a deep breath, "She's back in Rosewood. She's been arrested for Bethany's murder."

**A:N/ Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'd love it if you left me a review telling me what you think, or any suggestions/constructive critisicm :) I hope you have a great day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Authors Note: Sorry for the longish wait, I'm going to try to post a chapter every week! I hope you like it :)**

"So your mom's at the station right now?" Toby asked his girlfriend, as he sat beside her on the DiLaurentis' couch, tracing patterns on her hand. Spencer nodded in response, chewing on her lip.

"I knew this was coming, I just didn't know when." Spencer told them, looking up to Emily and Ali who were seated across from them. Spencer knew that her sister would have to pay the consequences of what she did, but she just didn't know how severe they would be. In the end, Melissa herself was the one to confess, so Spencer knew that she had done the right thing by turning in the video to the cops.

"I'm sure your mom already has a plan," Emily stated, "I mean, she did know what Melissa did that night, and that you turned in the confession." Spencer nodded at her.

"If there's anyone who can help my sister, it's her." The brunette stated with confidence.

* * *

><p>Emily smiled at her father as he handed her one of the baking dishes that her mom had prepared from the trunk of their car. Wayne grabbed the other, and closed the trunk door as the trio started their way up to the Marin's door. It was Christmas Eve, and because of everything that was going on with Melissa, Ashley and Hanna had offered to take over the hosting duties from the Hasting's family, which they had gratefully accepted. Pam linked her arm with Emily's, pulling her winter coat tighter to keep out the freezing Decemeber air. Emily rang the doorbell, smiling at the Christmas wreath that hung on the door. It seemed that Hanna had finally been influenced by Emily's love of the hoidays. The door opened, and the family was greeted by Ashley.<p>

"Merry Christmas!" The red-head said warmly, giving them each a hug as they entered her home. Christmas carols played and Emily saw some of her friends' families chatting in the living room. The crackling fire emitted a glow that warmed up the room, and Emily felt at home.

"This looks delicious Pam, thank you!" Ashley said as Emily handed her the dish of mashed potatoes her mom had cooked, and then joined her group of friends.

"Hey." She greeted, smiling at Aria, Hanna, Ezra and Caleb who were seated on some couches.

"Merry Christmas." Aria stood up, giving her a hug, and the others followed.

"Merry Christmas!" Emily replied, giving all of her friends a hug, "Ali and Spence aren't here yet?"

"Ali is." Aria replied, scanning the room for their blonde friend.

"I bet you ten bucks she's sneaking more food from the kitchen." Hanna joked, and the guys laughed along with her. Then Emily spotted her girlfriend walking over to them from, just like Hanna had guessed, the kitchen. Ali smiled as she noticed Emily, and Emily stood up to give her girlfriend a kiss. "You owe me ten bucks." Hanna told Aria, and the group laughed in response.

"Hi Em," Ali said, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Emily whispered as she gave her a hug, "You look amazing." Emily admired the blonde's red fitted dress, which she had paired with a simple chain necklace and hoop earrings.

"So do you." Ali laughed.

"You guys do remember that we're still here right?" Hanna said mockingly, and Emily just gave her a playful glare.

"Spence and Toby still aren't here?" Ali wondered, as she sat down beside Emily.

"Not yet." Aria shook her head.

"I can't believe that Melissa's spending Christmas in jail, and that her parents didn't even want to come tonight. Even though Melissa isn't exactly innocent, Spence's family shouldn't have to go through this." Hanna said. Spencer's older sister had been charged with involuntary manslaughter for her involvment with Bethany, and the Hastings' were doing all they could to lessen the severity of her sentencing.

"At least she has Toby." Ezra added, and Aria smiled at him, grabbing his hand.

"There they are." Caleb motioned to the door, where Spencer and Toby were greeting Ashley and the other party guests. Soon they walked over to their friends, and Spencer was relieved to finally be with them.

"How's everything going?" Aria asked gently.

"The same it's been going this past week," Spencer sighed, "But I really just want to forget about it all and have a good night. Could we avoid talking about Melissa, even just for tonight?" Spencer touched Aria's hand to let her know that she appreciated her concern.

"Of course we can." Emily told her.

"So how's the police academy treating you?" Caleb asked Toby, changing the subject for Spencer's sake, who shot him a grateful smile.

"Really well. I'm really liking it," Toby told the group, "I graduate in a couple of weeks."

"That's amazing Toby." Emily said warmly, before noticing her dad walking into the kitchen alone. She turned to Ali. "Hey, I want you to come talk to my dad. He really wanted to see you, after everything that I've told him about us."

"Really?" Ali replied, and Emily stood up.

"We'll be right back guys," She said to the group, "Come on!" Emily offered her girlfriend a hand, helping her off the couch.

"So you must have told him some pretty good stuff about me huh?" Ali teased as Emily led her down the hallway. The brunette rolled her eyes jokingly as they entered the kitchen, where her dad was grabbing a plate from the fridge.

"Hi dad." Emily said, and he looked up to see the two girls.

"Oh hi girls," He smiled, "It's been a while Alison, how are you?"

"I'm doing really good, how about you Mr. Fields?" Ali replied, slightly unsure about where Emily wanted this whole conversation to be going.

"I'm fine thanks," Wayne said, "I'm glad I finally get to talk to the person who's been making my daughter so happy these past few weeks. Emily hasn't stopped talking about you since I got home." Emily smiled shyly at her dad's comment.

"Maybe we can have Ali over for breakfast one of these days?" Emily suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea Em, how does this weekend work for you Ali?" Wayne asked the blonde with a smile.

"Sounds like a plan." Ali smiled back.

"Good, well I better get these out there before Ashley comes looking for me." Wayne joked, holding up the plate of pigs in a blanket before walking back to the living room. Emily put her arm around Ali's waist, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"I can't believe I get to spend my Christmas with you." Emily breathed, leaning her head against the blonde's shoulder.

"Me too," Ali replied, giving Emily a kiss on the cheek, "You're the only person I thought about on this day when I was away."

"I'm glad you came back to me." Emily whispered. "We should probably go back now huh?" Ali nodded, and the couple walked back down the hallway to the party.

* * *

><p><em>Ali shivered as she pulled the blanket tighter against herself as she sat on the bus stop bench. She was waiting for CeCe to pick her up. Her blonde friend had managed to book a hotel room in a city on the outskirts of Rosewood for them to stay. It was Christmas Eve, and so far, it had been the worst one she'd spent since she had left Rosewood. All she wanted was to be home, and safe, with her friends and family. She didn't like to let herself think about how much she wanted to be home, and instead focused on doing everything that she could to stay up to date with her friends' lives. She needed to make sure that A didn't do more damage than they already had. Ali's thoughts kept straying to Emily, the hardest one to leave behind. Her eyes filled with tears as she thought about everything that happened to her friend, all that she had gone through. She needed to be with her again, even if just for a day. It was always the worst on holidays, the days that you should spend with the people you love the most. She wished that she was home, with Emily by her side. That was all that Ali wanted, but she knew that it still wasn't safe for her to go home. Ali wiped the tears from her eyes. She would go home. She would do everything it took to be with Emily. She would find a way to go back to her.<em>

* * *

><p>"Thanks again for everything Ms. Marin." Spencer hugged Hanna's mom tightly in the doorway as the last of them left the Marin house. They had spent a nice evening together talking and laughing, and the girls were glad that they got to spend the family holiday together. Spencer for one, was grateful to have gotten one night that she could just forget about all the drama at home, and enjoy some quality time with her friends.<p>

"Bye Han." Spencer said goodbye to the blonde, who hugged her tighly before joining her mom in the doorway. She gave them both a wave as she joined the rest of her friends who had already said goodbye.

"Well, that was a great night." Emily said cheerfully to the group.

"It really was, I'm glad we spent it together." Aria added.

"Let's see who get's the best gift from Santa tomorrow morning." Ezra joked, inciting some laughs. They said their goodbyes, and the different couples went their own ways, leaving only Ali and Emily. Toby was going to stay over at the Hasting's house, as Spencer wasn't up to spending Christmas Eve alone with her stressed out parents. Aria's parents and Mike had come seperately, so Aria was getting dropped off at home by Ezra. As their friends' cars left the Marin driveway, Ali wrapped her arms around Emily's waist, giving her a light kiss.

"Will I still get to see you tomorrow before you go to your family's brunch?" Emily asked Ali, fixing the blonde's crooked scarf.

"Of course. I'd much rather be spending tomorrow with you, but my dad really wants us to go to this."

"I know, but we'll see each other later okay? I'll come over at 10, before you guys leave." Emily gave Ali a peck on the cheek. Ali rested her head against Emily's neck. A few minutes later, the door opened and Mr. and Mrs. Fields came out, putting on their winter coats as they thanked Ashley for hosting the evening's dinner.

"Well I assume my dad's not far behind, so I'll see you tommorow." Ali whispered, giving Emily another kiss before they would be interrupted by their parents.

"Merry Christmas Ali, I love you," Emily said, before resting her hand on Ali's bump which prevented Ali from closing her coat completely, "And I love you baby boy." Emily place a kiss on Ali's belly.

"We love you too Em, Merry Christmas." Ali gave her a last hug before the brunette went to join her parents.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Ali was woken up early, as usual, by Davin's movements. She yawned, turning over to look at the time. It was only 8, but Ali knew that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. She pulled the blankets off, swinging her legs over the side of her bed as she rubbed her eyes.<p>

"Oh Davin, I won't be getting much sleep anymore will I?" Ali whispered as she rubbed circles on her large bump. He continued kicking and moving while Ali pulled on her robe and went to her closet, opening a drawer and pulling out the present she had gotten for her dad. With the bag in one hand, and the other on the railing, she headed down the stairs quietly. As Ali looked out the window, she noticed that it was snowing, the crystal snowflakes coating the town with a layer of white. As she walked into the living room, Ali smiled at the sight of a few presents under the Christmas tree they had decorated. Even though Kenneth knew that his daughter wasn't a little kid anymore, he had wanted to surprise her on the first Christmas morning that she would spend at home in three years. She shuffled over, setting down her dad's present beside the others. Ali made herself some tea, watching the snowflakes fall as the water heated up.

"Next year it'll be your presents under that tree." Ali whispered with a smile. She couldn't wait to spend a Christmas morning watching her son open presents under the tree, seeing his excited face as he checked inside his stocking. Taking her mug, she sat down in one of the recliners in the living room by the window, one hand on her belly and one holding her tea. An hour later she heard the creaking of the stairs, and she turned to see her dad descending from the staircase.

"Merry Christmas." He smiled, walking over to the living room. Ali got up and went to give her dad a hug.

"Merry Christmas dad." She said, as she pulled back, looking over at the tree. "I saw that Santa came."

"Well, I didn't want to break the tradition," Kenneth smiled at his daughter, "The holidays were always the hardest days to get through when you weren't here."

"I'm here now dad, you'll never have to go through that again." Ali told him.

"Well come on then, open your presents." Kenneth said, walking to sit down on the couch. Ali smiled and went over to the Christmas tree as she started unwrapping the gifts, cherishing her first Christmas home. A little while later, there was wrapping paper and several gifts laid out across the living room floor. While Kenneth was looking through the instructions of his new coffee maker, the doorbell rang. Ali went to the door, spying Emily through the window.

"Hi." Emily grinned, a little red bag in her hands as her girlfriend opened the door. Ali leaned in to kiss her, before grabbing Emily's hand and pulling her in the house.

"Hi Mr. DiLaurentis!" Emily called out to the older man as she started taking off her winter coat.

"Good morning Emily, Merry Christmas!" Kenneth replied with a smile, before going back to the coffee machine's box. Emily followed Ali up the stairs to her room, taking a seat on her bed beside the blonde.

"How'd you sleep?" Emily said, warming her hands in Ali's.

"I didn't," Ali laughed, "I keep waking up, and I don't think it'll get better since I'm just getting bigger."

"Awe I'm sorry babe," Emily frowned, kissing Ali's hand, "I wish I could help." Emily reached down to grab the blonde's present, and handed the bag to to her with a smile. Ali grinned as she started unwrapping the gift, taking out the small box into her hands.

"Emily," Ali breathed, "It's beautiful." Ali admired the delicate snowflake necklace inside the box, before looking up to Emily, "I love it." The brunette smiled, taking the necklace from Ali's hands to help her put it on. Ali smiled as she saw how pretty the jewlery looked in the mirror, before turning to give her girlfriend a deep kiss. "Thank you." Ali smiled against Emily's lips, and then got up from the bed to open her closet. She grabbed the Christmas theme wrapped present, and went back to sit on her bed.

"Merry Christmas Em." Ali pushed the gift into Emily's hands. Emily smiled shyly as she opened the present, putting the wrapping paper to one side. "I hope you like it as much as I do." Emily held a book in her hands, and she started flipping through the pages to find pictures and captions of the memories that they had together. "I know it's not that full yet, but we'll add things as we go."

"It's perfect Ali," Emily said warmly, "I can't believe you got all of these pictures and everything. We look so young." Emily giggled as she looked at a picture of both girls dressed up in fancy clothes from one of the many fashion shows they had put on in their younger years. Emily reached the last few pages, and noticed some recent pictures of her and Ali hugging on Thanksgiving, Emily feeling Ali's belly in Spencer's living room from the day that they had gone shopping, and some pictures that Pam had taken when Ali went over to their house for dinner.

"I can't wait to fill the rest of the pages with new memories, thank you." Emily said, leaning back against the headboard, and Ali curled up next to her.

"Me too baby," Ali whispered as Emily kissed her forehead, "Me too."

* * *

><p>"We'll see you soon Ali." Pam smiled from the door as the blonde walked down the porch steps with Emily. Wayne stood beside his wife, an arm around her shoulder, and gave a small wave.<p>

"Bye, thanks again for breakfast!" Ali smiled back at Emily's parents, opening Emily's car door. It was the following weekend, and they were headed to Ali's doctor appointment after having breakfast with Emily's parents. Slipping inside, Emily started the engine, and turned on the heat to warm up the chilly car.

"They really like you babe," Emily told the blonde as she pulled out of the driveway, "I knew that they'd love you just as much as I do." Ali blushed slightly at Emily's words.

"Well they're such great people, it's no wonder you are they way that you are." Ali took Emily's left hand in her own, placing a kiss on her knuckles. She smiled as she saw her new snowflake necklace shimmer in the car window.

"So, what's it been, like a month already, since I last went to a doctor appointment?" Emily said, turning to look at her girlfriend while they stopped at a red light. Ali nodded, before replying.

"I can't believe I only have 6 weeks left," Ali said, "I feel like I can't get any bigger than I already am. I'm huge." The blonde laughed, tracing circles on her belly with her other hand.

"Ali, you look gorgeous, like always, if not more," Emily glanced at her girlfriend, "You're doing a good job of keeping him safe and healthy in there." Ali smiled at the brunette, who she was lucky enough to have say all the sweetest things to her. Emily turned into the medical building's parking lot, pulling into a spot close to the entrance. "Here we are." Emily sighed, turning the car off.

"Yep, here we are," Ali repeated with a content smile, "Are you excited?"

"I'm really excited, especially to hear his heartbeat again." Emily nodded happily.

"Me too," Ali said before pressing her lips against Emily's, "Now let's go see how our son is doing." The blonde went to open the passenger door, but noticed that Emily wasn't moving to get out of the car. "Em, are you coming?"

"Yeah, it's just," Emily started shyly, "It's just, you said our, our son." Ali tilted her head at Emily, a smile breaking out on her face.

"I know, but that's what he is, isn't he?" Ali replied with a giggle.

"Yeah, I know, but that's the first time that you've said it out loud," Emily said, "I like the sound of it, our son." She smiled, giving Ali's hand a squeeze.

"So do I." Ali told her, and Emily opened the car door to step out. She went around to Ali's side, and wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist as they walked towards the door. "Here," Ali motioned to Emily's other hand, reaching for it, and then placed it on her side where Davin was kicking her especially hard. Emily smiled as she felt a few strong thumps against her palm.

"Wanted to say hi, huh baby?" The brunette spoke to the baby boy in Ali's belly.

"If that's the case, he's been wanting to say hi non-stop this past week," Ali said, "I seriously feel like he's running out of room in there." Ali sighed, as Emily opened the door for her.

"Come on, I bet that when he's here you'll miss all the kicking." Emily tried to cheer up her girlfriend, who she knew was getting more and more uncomfortable the closer she got to her due date.

"We'll see about that." Ali said with an amused face as they walked up to the receptionist.

* * *

><p>Ali finished pulling the bedding over the little mattress inside the baby's bassinet, before stepping back to stand beside Emily to admire their handywork.<p>

"It's really cute, we did a good job." Emily smiled, leaning her head against Ali's shoulder.

"So now everything is officially ready for him." Ali sighed, shifting the weight on her feet.

"Really? There's nothing left to do?" Emily wondered, as Ali went to sit down in the glider chair.

"Nope, that's everything!" Ali smiled, relieved that she didn't have to worry about anything else.

"All your hospital bags, his bag," Emily inquired, "The car seat?" Ali laughed at the fact that Emily had memorized the entire checklist that the hospital had given them.

"Em, I finished packing the bags yesterday, and you can see for yourself that the carseat is good to go." Ali pointed to the grey and baby blue carseat that was set beside the bags.

"Okay, just making sure." Emily said with a laugh. The sound of a ringing phone filled the nursery, and Ali reached for her cell, answering it.

"Hey Han," She greeted her friend, and after a pause she replied to the blonde on the other end, "Okay we'll be right over. Bye."

"What's up?" Emily asked as she walked over to help Ali up from the chair. Ali took her hand,

"Aria found something in Radley, she wants us to go over." The pair quickly headed to Emily's car which was parked in the driveway, and they sped to the Montgomery house. Once they arrived, they quickly walked up the steps, finding the front door unlocked. Hanna, Spencer and Aria were standing in the living room looking at some pieces of paper that were spread out on the table.

"Hey, what's going on?" Emily asked as they joined the group. Ali noticed her friends' shocked expressions.

"I, uhm," Aria started, "I got into Bethany's file. Not just the regular file, they had more files for all the patients."

"What did you find?" Ali asked, her thoughts racing to think of all the possible things Aria could have learned.

"Look at this." Spencer handed Ali some papers, and Emily peered over her shoulder to read what was written on them. As their eyes scanned the papers, Hanna took a deep breath before revealing what they were about to read.

"It's about Jason." Hanna said.

"Jason? What does he have to do with Bethany?" Emily said with a confused tone.

"He and Bethany," Hanna explained, "They're siblings." Ali's eyes widened at the blonde's words.

"What do you mean, siblings?" Ali exclaimed.

"That's not everything." Spencer added from beside Hanna, "Bethany is Jason's twin sister."

**A/N: Thank you for reading! It would be super great if you let me know what you thought of this chapter with a review :) Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Authors Note: Thanks for reading, I hope you like this chapter!**

"Twin sister?" Ali exclaimed, "What?"

"You're sure?" Emily asked her friends.

"Why would my parents keep this from me?" Ali said in a hushed tone, carefully taking a seat on the couch.

"I don't know, but they must have changed her birth certificate once she went to Radley. They didn't want anyone finding out who she really was." Ali put her head in her hands, overwhelmed with the new information. How could she have been lied to for her entire life by her family? And worse, why had her half sister ended up in what was supposed to be her own grave? Emily ran her hand over Ali's back comfortingly.

"This is all I could find today, but I'll look again, I'll try to find out as much as possible." Aria said, wanting to help her friend as much as she could.

"Thanks Ar," Ali said, looking up at the brunette, "I don't know if I would have ever found out about this if you didn't find these files. I can't believe it."

"That's why Jason has been acting so strange." Hanna added, reffering to his sudden departure from Rosewood.

"Wait. Before he left, he told me not trust our father," Spencer said with realization, "That's because he knows. My dad has to know about Bethany too. Don't worry Ali, your family isn't the only one keeping this secret."

* * *

><p>Emily sighed as she made a turn onto the street, heading back to Alison's house. After the group had discussed their next move for a little while, they had called it a night.<p>

"Are you going to ask him about it now?" Emily asked softly as she looked at the road ahead. Alison nodded, knowing that she couldn't pretend that she didn't know what she had just found out for the sake of sparing her father from having that conversation with her.

"He's going out of town tomorrow for the week, and I don't want to put it off until he gets back. And wouldn't anyone be at least a little mad that their parents kept such a huge secret from them? I know that I shouldn't be talking about keeping secrets, but they kept this secret for 24 years. How could they not tell me? How could they pretend that she never existed? All that time she was a few minutes away in Radley, I don't understand Em." Ali's eyes shined with tears as she ran a hand through her blonde hair. Emily grabbed her girlfriend's hand, giving it a squeeze.

"There's nothing you can do now but hear him out, it probably wasn't easy for him either." Emily tried comforting the blonde, as they neared her house.

"You're right." Ali sighed, giving her a thankful smile. Emily pulled up into the driveway of the DiLaurentis house, and turned to Ali once she shut off the car.

"I'll talk to you later okay?" Emily gave Ali a soft kiss, "Goodluck."

"Thanks Em," Ali opened the car door, pushing herself out of the passenger seat with some effort, "Bye." She smiled, and Emily waved before Ali shut the car door and started up to the front door. Emily pulled out of the driveway, and Ali turned to watch her car disappear before putting the key in the lock and entering her home. She took a deep breath as she set her bag down, hearing the TV in the adjoining room.

"Alison?" Kenneth called out as he heard the front door close.

"Hi dad." She replied, walking towards the living room.

"What have you been up to? I thought you and Emily would be here when I got home?"

"We were, but we went over to Aria's for a bit." Ali told him, sitting down in one of the chairs adjacent to the couch.

"Oh that's nice, did you have a good time?" Kenneth asked warmly, lowering the volume on the television.

"Dad," Ali started, "We need to talk." Kenneth furrowed his eyebrows, sitting up straighter on the couch.

"What's going on Ali?"

"It's about Bethany," Ali breathed, and she noticed how her dad's face fell, "I know who she really is."

* * *

><p>Emily set Ali's bag on her bed, turning back to the blonde who was just walking through the doorway into Emily's room.<p>

"Welcome to your new home." Emily smiled at her girlfriend, who walked over to join her by the bed.

"Well only for a week." Ali laughed, pressing her lips against the brunette. A few days earlier, after Wayne's vacation days had ended and he retuned to his job, Emily and her mom had offered to have Alison stay with them for the week because Kenneth would be away for work. Ali was glad to have some time to think away from her dad, even though she wasn't exactly mad at him, she still needed some space after finding out the truth about Bethany. She understood her dad's reasons, but the entire situation was still a lot to take in.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Emily asked, playing with the necklace she had given Ali that hung from her neck.

"Honestly, sleep." Ali laughed, cupping Emily's face with her hand, "I feel like I haven't gotten a restful night since Saturday." Ali said, referring to the night they had all met at Aria's house.

"Okay, well my mom asked me if I would drop off some things at the post office for her. I'll go do that, maybe pick up some lunch for us on the way, and you can get some rest. How does that sound?" Emily offered with a smile.

"That sounds perfect Em." Ali said, pressing her lips against the brunette's.

"I'll be back in a little while then." Emily said goodbye with a last kiss before grabbing her bag and heading out of her room. It was less than an hour later that Emily returned, lunch in hand as she closed the door behind her. She pulled her jacket off, placing it on the hook, before she walked into the kitchen to put the food in the fridge. She headed up to her room to check on Ali, hoping that she had been able to get some much needed rest. She stepped in the room quietly, and saw that Ali was sound asleep, her chest rising and falling gently with each breath. Emily smiled, and went over to join her. She laid down beside the blonde, snuggling up against her. After a few minutes, Ali stirred, and she turned to see Emily beside her.

"Hi Em, when did you get here?" Ali said sleepily.

"Just a few minutes ago. I didn't want to wake you up though." Emily said, as played with Ali's hand gently.

"You didn't," Ali let out a laugh as she put her hands on her belly, "It feels like he's doing somersaults in there." Emily smiled, letting Ali take her hand to feel the baby's movements. Even though she regularly felt him kick, Emily couldn't help the feeling of excitement that she got each time. "I don't know why he loves moving so much when I'm trying to sleep."

"I bought us some food, if you're hungry." Emily mumbled after Davin had settled down.

"I'm starving, thanks Em. I guess there are some perks of living with you." Ali teased as the pair headed out of the room to have some lunch.

* * *

><p>"Ali, do you really have to do that right now?" Emily whined from the bed, where she was texting with Spencer. It was the third day that Ali had been staying with Emily, and she had been busy working on her school assignments, which was driving Emily a bit crazy. "Let's watch a movie or something, the vacations are meant for relaxing, not doing homework." Ali looked over at her girlfriend with a knowing look.<p>

"Em, I have to get this work done. I can't fall behind, and I know it's annoying but I only have until the end of break." Ali told her, before turning back to the assignment she was working on.

"I know babe, but can't you do it a bit later?" Emily pleaded, and Ali tilted her head at the brunette, giving in and going to sit with her on the bed. Emily smiled, giving her a deep kiss.

"That's what you wanted huh?" Ali smiled against Emily's lips.

"Come here." Emily patted the spot beside her, fixing the pillows as Ali moved up to be beside Emily. "I'm really proud of you Ali."

"For what?" Ali asked, slightly confused at her girlfriend's random comment.

"You've just been working so hard in school," Emily explained, "It can't be easy going back to a normal routine of doing homework and studying for tests after being away, and I'm just really proud of you. Davin is really lucky to have you as his mom."

"I'm just doing what I can, to make sure I'm ready for him you know?" Ali sighed, "But to be honest I don't think that I'll ever feel completely ready for him to get here."

"I think that's pretty normal for a first time mom, Ali." Emily said with a smile.

"I know, but it's just..." Ali trailed off, and Emily turned to look at her.

"What is it?" She asked her, tucking some of the blonde's hair behind her ear.

"I'm scared Em," Ali admitted quietly, not meeting the other girl's eyes.

"Ali," Emily turned Ali's chin so she would face her, "Talk to me." Ali let out a deep breath before she spoke.

"I'm just scared that I won't be able to do it, that I won't be be a good mom. What if I don't know what I'm doing? Or if he doesn't want me? He deserves the best, and what if I can't provide that-" Emily cut off Ali's rambling thoughts with a gentle kiss.

"I know that you're nervous and that you're scared, but you'll know what to do. And if you don't, you'll learn. I know that you'll be an amazing mom Ali," Emily said, "You already are. Davin won't love anyone on this world more than he'll love you. Besides, you won't be doing it alone. You'll have help, from me, our friends, my mom." Ali nodded, taking in what Emily was telling her. "It's okay to be scared." Emily whispered, pulling her girlfriend into a tight hug. A few tears slipped out of Ali's eyes as she leaned her head against Emily's shoulder, and the brunette pressed a kiss to Ali's forehead once they pulled apart.

"Thank you." Ali whispered as she settled back beside Emily.

* * *

><p>"How's she doing?" Aria asked Spencer, putting a hand on the tall brunette's shoulder. The five girls were standing amidst the New Year's Eve Party that they were attending at the Grill.<p>

"Surprisingly well." Spencer replied, speaking about her older sister who had been released the day prior. "She's staying at her apartment."

"She didn't want to stay with you and your mom?" Hanna asked, but the brunette shook her head.

"At least she's out." Emily said, giving her friend's arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah," Spencer sighed, "So have you put our present to any use yet?" She asked Ali, referring to the spa gift cards that the girls had given her.

"Emily actually surprised me by booking me an appointment for Friday." Ali replied, shooting Emily a smile.

"Oh good, it'll be a nice way to bring in the New Year." Aria said cheerily.

"God I'm jealous, I haven't been to the spa in ages!" Hanna said.

"Well why don't you come with me?" Ali suggested to the pouting blonde, whose eyes lit up at the idea.

"Really? I'd love to, but if you wanted to have a day to yourself-"

"Han, it's decided, I'll call in and book you for the same time." Ali put a hand on the blonde's shoulder with a smile.

"It's almost time!" Ella called out, turning the volume up on the TV which displayed the massive amount of people in Times Square waiting for the ball to drop. Everyone grabbed their glasses, waiting for the countdown to begin.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6," Everyone chanted the numbers along with the TV, and Emily took Ali's hand in her own, giving her an excited smile.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" The party erupted in cheers as the new year rolled in, with everyone giving each other hugs and well wishes. Emily planted a kiss on Ali's lips, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"Happy New Year, I can't wait for what's to come." Emily told her girlfriend.

"Happy New Year Em." Ali smiled, before they clinked their glasses and went to hug their friends, who were also wrapped in their boyfriends arms.

* * *

><p>It was early Friday morning, two days after New Years Eve, and Ali winced as she felt another of the baby's strong kicks. Davin had been active for most of the night, and the few times he had stopped, Ali hadn't been able to get comfortable, which just ended up with her tossing and turning. She sat up, swinging her legs over the bed quietly so as to not wake up Emily, who was sleeping soundly beside her. Ali got up, thinking that maybe walking would help lull Davin to sleep. She left Emily's room quietly, going down to the living room to walk a few circles through the house. It had been like this for most nights now, and Ali knew that there was no point in staying in bed if Davin kept moving around. After a few minutes, Ali walked back up the stairs to her girlfriends room to grab a book, figuring that she could just hang out on the couch until Emily woke up in a couple of hours. Carefully walking across the room, Ali reached the bedside table where she knew Emily always kept some novel, and picked up the first one she saw. Ali smiled as she read the title of the baby book. She made her way back downstairs, settling on the couch with a blanket. It was snowing outside, like it had been doing off and on for the past week, and Ali admired the snowflakes that were creating a coat of white on the small town. It was only twenty minutes later that Ali heard a creak from the stairs, and a heavy-eyed Emily appeared.<p>

"What are you doing up Em?" Ali whispered as the brunette walked over to her. She sat down beside Alison, patting her knee.

"I could ask you that same question." Emily smiled.

"I can't sleep," Ali huffed, "I didn't want to wake you though."

"Ali, don't worry about me," Emily said, "Now, why can't you sleep?"

"I just can't, I'm too uncomfortable. And even when he does stop kicking me, I still can't fall asleep."

"Aw babe, I'm sorry," Emily pressed her lips against Ali's. She noticed the book that was lying beside her girlfriend, and picked it up.

"What are you doing?" Ali asked the brunette, who gave her a smile.

"We're going to learn how to cut a newborn's fingernails." Emily said with a laugh, as she looked back down to the page she had opened the book to. Ali smiled, leaning comfortably into Emily as the snowflakes fell outside.

* * *

><p>"Do you have the receipt?" Emily asked Ali as she pulled on her jacket. They were headed to the mall to exchange two onesies that Kenneth's co-worker had gotten Ali, since she already bought them herself on one of her many baby shopping sprees.<p>

"Yeah, right here," Ali replied as she wrapped her scarf around herself. She opened the door, and they were greeted with cold air and snow.

"I forgot my phone, I'll be right back." Emily said as they neared the car, and she jogged back up the stairs into the house. She rummaged through her bag, looking through the pockets until she found the phone.

"Emily!" The brunette heard a panicked cry from outside, and her heart stopped as she made a run for the door.

"Ali?" Emily exclaimed as she quickly descended the porch steps. Then she noticed the blonde, who was laying on the snow covered ground. "What happened? Are you okay?" The panic rose in Emily's voice as she ran over to her girlfriend, leaning down to her level.

"I slipped on the ice." Ali told her, and Emily could tell that she was a bit shaken.

"Is Davin okay? You didn't hit your belly did you?" Emily asked, resting her hand on top of Ali's, which was cradling her bump.

"I don't know Em. I tried to catch myself with my hands and knees." Ali told her.

"Okay, it's okay." Emily helped the blonde stand carefully. Then Emily noticed the scratches and blood on Ali's hands from bracing her fall. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Emily put her arm around Ali's waist as she helped her back into the house. Once they reached the bathroom, Ali rinsed off her hands, and Emily looked for some band-aids. Ali winced as she felt a dull ache in her lower back and stomach, and noticed that she was still shaking.

"Ali?" Emily asked with worry as she noticed her girlfriend's uneasiness.

"I think something's wrong Em." Ali breathed, her eyes filled with worry as she talked to Emily.

"I think we need to get you to the hospital," Emily said, "Let's go."

**A/N: Don't forget to let me know what you think with a review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**A/N: I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to update, I've been super busy with school :( Another sorry for the cliffhanger in the last chapter, but I thought I should shake things up a bit! Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys like this chapter :)**

Emily sighed as she pressed the end call button on her phone, resting her hands on her lap. She was sitting in one of the waiting rooms where there was cell phone service, having just finished talking to Aria on the phone to explain what had happened. She took a deep breath before getting up and making her way back towards the hospital rooms. Once they had arrived at the hospital, Ali had been checked over and then admitted to the hospital so that they could monitor the baby because although Ali couldn't really feel them, the fall had induced some contractions. Since Ali was still 5 weeks away from her due date, the doctor wanted to make sure that Ali didn't progress further into labour, so they would have to stay for the day. Emily entered the hospital room and walked over to the chairs beside the bed, where Ali was resting in one of the hospital's gowns.

"Were you able to call them?" Ali asked, as Emily took a seat.

"Yeah, your dad didn't pick up though. I left him a message telling him to call me back, hopefully it'll come through when he does." Emily told the blonde.

"Okay, thanks Em." Ali replied, shifting on the bed as easily as she could with the belt monitors that were fastened on her belly.

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked with a hint of worry, even though the doctor had assured her that both Ali and the baby were being well taken care of.

"I'm okay. I can't believe that I was having contractions though, I could barely feel them. I don't know how much longer it would have been until I really felt anything, and it might have been too late to stop them."

"Well it's a good thing that contractions show up on the monitors even when you can't feel them. I'm glad you're okay, I was scared." Emily said honestly, and Ali gave her hand a light squeeze.

"Me too, but I'm glad you were with me." Ali told her with a small smile.

"I guess we got a practice round before the real thing huh?" Emily said as she looked around the hospital room.

"Yeah, I guess so. On the way here, I kept thinking, what if this is it? What if today was the day that he came? I got so nervous Em, I need him to stay in there a little longer." Ali said as she patted her bump.

"Don't worry babe, he will." Emily smiled, before giving Ali a kiss on the forehead.

* * *

><p>Emily's eyes opened, slowly getting adjusted to the light that filled the hospital room. She stretched her arms, getting rid of the stiffness from sitting in the hospital chair for the past hours. Ali was reading the baby book that she and Emily had been looking through that morning, and she looked up with a smile once she noticed that the brunette had woken up.<p>

"How long have I been asleep for?" Emily asked, feeling guilty that she had left Ali to entertain herself in the boring hospital room.

"Only an hour or so." Ali laughed, setting the book down beside her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." Emily told her as she stood up to stretch her legs.

"Em, it's fine, we were up really early today so I can't blame you." Ali said, just as a nurse walked into the hospital room.

"So it looks like everything is good, the tests came back normal, so you're clear to go home." The nurse said with a friendly smile. "No more contractions have appeared on the monitors, and your baby is doing very well."

"That's great to hear, thank you." Ali replied as the older woman started to take the belts off of Ali.

"If you start feeling any pain or discomfort, come right back to the emergency room alright? Otherwise, you can carry on with your daily lives. Just no more slipping on ice, you hear me?" She joked with a smile. Once she had re-adjusted the equipment, the nurse told them the directions to the nearest exit before leaving the room.

"Hey I'm gonna try your dad again while you get changed okay?" Emily said, reaching for her cell phone.

"Okay." Ali replied as she grabbed the small pile of her regular clothes before going into the small bathroom. Emily walked out into the hallway, pressing the call button on the phone as she entered the waiting room. This time Kenneth did pick up, and Emily could hear the concern is his voice as he started going on about getting the first available flight home. After convincing him to at least talk to Ali before booking a flight, she saw Ali walking towards her, bag thrown over her shoulder and back in the long-sleeved shirt and yoga pants that she had arrived in. Emily motioned to the phone, and Ali nodded.

"She's here now actually, I'll put her on." Emily said into the phone, before passing it to her girlfriend.

"Hi dad," Ali started, "I'm okay, really." Emily decided to give Ali some space while she talked to her dad, so she went to buy them some snacks from the vending machine, figuring that the blonde was as hungry as she was. Once she returned to the waiting room, Emily spotted Ali sitting on one of the chairs.

"So what'd he say? Is he flying home early?" Emily asked once she had reached her girlfriend, who reached for one of the bags of chips.

"No, I convinced him that I'm perfectly fine, and reminded him that he was planning on coming home in a couple days anyways. Besides, this is his last work trip before my due date, and I'd rather him not have to make up a trip later when Davin's even more likely to arrive."

"We wouldn't want him missing the arrival of his first grandchild, now would we." Emily smiled.

"Definitely not. On another note, I can't believe my dad's gonna be called grandpa!" Ali laughed, and Emily joined her.

"Ready to go?" The brunette said, ready to get out of the hospital. Ali gave her a small nod, and took the hand that Emily offered, standing up slowly with one hand on her back and the other firmly grasping Emily's.

"That's getting harder to do every day." Ali sighed as the pair started toward the elevator.

"Well it's a good thing you have me huh?" Emily said as she wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist.

"It is Em, it really is." Ali smiled back, before she pressed a light kiss on Emily's lips.

* * *

><p>"That's everything." Ali said with a sigh as she sat on Emily's bed, a bit out of breath from shoving her clothes for the week back into her bag.<p>

"Okay, should we go then?" Emily said with a hint of sadness in her voice. She had loved Ali spending the week with her, and she didn't want it to end now that it was over. Emily somehow knew that she would be spending the rest of her life waking up in the mornings next to Ali, and she knew that one day they would be able to get a place of their own, but for now she had to drive her girlfriend home to her worried father. Although Kenneth had stayed for the remainder of his work trip, he was anxious to see Alison in person to make sure that she was truly alright.

"Do we have to? I wish I could stay here with you forever Em." Ali mumbled as Emily pulled her closer.

"Don't worry, I have a feeling that we'll live together again in the future." Emily whispered before giving the blonde a deep kiss. Once they had eventually parted, Emily grabbed Ali's bag and they made their way down the stairs. Pam walked out of the kitchen fixing her crooked apron.

"Thanks so much for having me this past week Mrs. Fields." Ali said with a smile as the older woman pulled her in for a hug.

"We loved having you, and you are welcome anytime!" Pam replied, before Ali gave her one last smile as Emily opened the front door.

"See you soon mom." Emily said, closing the door behind them. The brunette gave Ali a hand as they walked down the steps and towards the car. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened two days earlier since there was still a heavy layer of snow on the ground.

"I really wish I didn't have to go back to school tomorrow." Emily admitted once she had gotten into the driver's seat.

"I wish I did." Ali replied. After the hospital visit, the doctor had suggested that Ali didn't go back to school and instead started her maternity leave early. Even though Ali had wanted to go for at least another 2 weeks, she knew that it would be best if she did take her break now.

"Don't worry, we'll come visit you a lot okay?" Emily said, patting Ali's knee.

"Okay." Alison replied a little happier.

"Aria texted me, she hasn't been able to find anything new at Radley." Emily said, making a left turn.

"That's okay, as much as I don't want to, I think I'm gonna have to ask my dad about it."

"I know it's hard to talk about, but I think it would be better for everyone if there were no more secrets. There must be a good reason for why Bethany was put in Radley." Emily assured the blonde, who nodded in response.

"I'll talk to him tonight." Alison said as Emily pulled up beside the DiLaurentis house. Emily got out of the car, grabbing Ali's bag before walking to the other side of the car to help her out.

"So I'll see you soon then?" Alison asked once they had reached the top of the stairs.

"Does tomorrow count as soon?" Emily replied with a laugh, before giving her girlfriend a tight hug.

"Thanks for everything Em, I'm glad I got to spend the week with you." Ali smiled.

"Me too. I'll talk to you soon, and don't forget to take it easy!" Emily called out as she walked back to the car. Ali gave her one last wave, before she opened the front door.

"Dad?" Ali called out into the house, as she dropped her bag by the stairs.

"I'm up here Alison!" Kenneth's voice rang out from the house's second floor. Ali took off her coat before heading up the stairs. Once she reached the top, she walked to her dad's room, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Dad?" Ali asked again, rounding the corner. She noticed the the nursery's light was on, and she smiled as she walked towards the door. She found her dad looking out the window, and he smiled once his daughter reached the doorway. He was quick to give her a hug, grateful that he could finally see that she was okay.

"I'm so glad you're doing well Alison, I was so worried that I would miss the little guy's appearance." Kenneth said warmly.

"Me too, but we're both doing fine. I think it'll still be a little while until he really does decide to come." Ali told him.

"As I walked by Davin's nursery, I couldn't help but take a peek. It's a beautiful room Ali, actually, it reminded me of the day your mother and I brought you home to a nursery just like this. Of course yours had more pink and less blue, but it was just as special."

"Yeah, it turned out nice didn't it?" Ali said, a hint of sadness in her voice at the thought of her mother.

"It did." Kenneth said with a smile. "How was the week with Emily?"

"It was great dad, her and her mom made me feel right at home."

"Good, good. How about we go get some lunch? I haven't eaten since this morning before the plane, and I'm starving." Kenneth suggested, and Ali nodded in response. They left the room, and Ali smiled lightly as she looked back at her son's room.

_"What color would it be?" Cyrus mumbled, Ali's head nestled in his neck. They were lying in their makeshift bed in the dim room that they had been calling home, with Cyrus' hand on Ali's barely noticeable bump._

_"Blue." Ali told him with a smile._

_"And what if it's a girl?" Cyrus laughed at her answer._

_"Maybe violet? And there would be a nice crib, and cute little stuffed animals. Maybe a rocking chair?"_

_"Yeah sure, I'd leave you in charge of all that!" Cyrus laughed, not nearly as enthusiastic about baby decorations as Ali was._

_"Hey!" Ali playfully swatted his arm. "This is your baby too!"_

_"Well don't worry, soon you'll be able to start buying all those things." Cyrus said, but Ali wasn't letting herself get her hopes up. CeCe had already offered them a place to stay if they wanted, but Cyrus was intent on doing it all on their own. Alison had agreed to give it a few months since she was still so early in the pregnancy, but the baby needed to have a proper home to grow up in, and Ali wasn't going to give that up for Cyrus' pride. She just hoped that all of Cyrus' promises would follow through and he could find a good place for them._

_"I wish. All I want is good home for him or her, somewhere happy and safe." Ali expressed._

_"So that's what he or she will get." Cyrus said, pressing a kiss on her cheek. "I promise."_

"She wasn't well." Kenneth took a deep breath. "She was hyperactive, aggressive. She was always angry, shouting and screaming, hurting us and your brother. She just didn't care about hurting other people."

"So that's why she had to go to Radley?" Alison asked her father, who shook his head. They were sitting in their living room. Ali had finally brought up the Bethany situation.

"As time went on, she got worse. She became more dangerous, and Jason even had to get stitches from one of her tantrums. We tried everything Alison, we really did. Therapy, medicine, we even sent her to stay with Aunt Lucy and Uncle Peter to see if maybe it was being with us that triggered her. Your poor brother, well he was just a little kid who didn't understand why his sister attacked him instead of playing with him like all the other kids their age. I don't know if he even remembers everything that happened. When we found out that your mother was pregnant with you, we were so scared honey. We knew it wouldn't be safe to have a baby in the same house as Bethany, but we wanted to believe that maybe a new sibling would somehow change her, turn her attention to something new. After a few months passed, we realized we were wrong. The doctors eventually suggested Radley, they said it was the only way. She was six years old when we dropped her off. I'll never forget that day. It was the hardest thing we ever had to do, but we didn't have a choice. She was a danger to herself and to others, and we couldn't let anything else happen. You were born only a few weeks after she was admitted."

"But didn't she get better? Couldn't she come home?" Alison asked, wiping some tears away.

"She did get better. When you were 6 months old, she did get better. They started letting us bring her home on the weekends, and it went surprisingly well the first few times." Kenneth said.

"But not all the times." Alison concluded, and Kenneth shook his head.

"She started getting jealous of the new baby and Jason. She said that we were replacing her with you, and started isolating herself from us when she was home. One Saturday morning, your mother heard your crying from the nursery, and when she got to your room, Bethany was there staring down at you in the crib. Your mother said that she was unresponsive to her when she asked her what she was doing in the baby's room, and that's when she called for me. I tried talking to her, offering to take her to the playground, anything to get her to talk to me, but she didn't. I- I picked her up and took her down to the living room, and when I picked her up I- I felt something in her pocket-" Kenneth sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"Dad." Ali said, "What happened?"

"She had a pair of scissors in her pocket." Kenneth said. Ali choked, new tears forming in her eyes. "We had to take her back Ali. As much as we hoped there would come a day that she would get better, that she would be able to come home and be with us, it never came. We never told you this because we wanted to protect you, and now I know that it wasn't fair to you, but we did it for your sake. I need you to understand that at least." Tears were cascading down Ali's cheeks, and she let herself be embraced by her dad.

"I do understand dad, I do." Ali managed to choke out between the tears. "Thank you for telling me."

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and it would mean so much if you left me a review!**


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